


A Shift In Perspective

by nobodyzhuman



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Animagus, Animal Transformation, Bad Albus Dumbledore, Character Bashing, Death Eaters, Good Severus Snape, Living with enemies, Molly Weasley Bashing, Not So Evil Voldemort (Harry Potter), Ron Weasley Bashing, Voldemort as secrets, forced transformation, kitten!Harry, pranks on Death Eaters, twins are awesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:07:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 56,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23775829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobodyzhuman/pseuds/nobodyzhuman
Summary: All it took was on look into the Headmaster's pensieve for Harry's world to crumble. When Dumbledore catches him, the manipulative bastard decided that changing Harry into animal and sending him all but gift wrapped to Voldemort is the best way to get rid of him. What the headmaster didn't take into account was Harry's knack for survival. Stuck as a cat and living amongst Voldemort and his Death Eaters is not how Harry planned on spending his 5th year, but he may just learn something from it.
Relationships: Bartemius Crouch Jr./Severus Snape, Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Rodolphus Lestrange, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Fred Weasley, Harry Potter/Fred Weasley/George Weasley, Harry Potter/George Weasley, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy/Voldemort, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, possible - Relationship
Comments: 373
Kudos: 3179
Collections: Animal Transformations, Creature Fics, Harry Potter, Harry Potter Fics, Harry/other OR other/other, Platinum - HP, Waiting for updates





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, this started off as a joke. Me and a friend where talking about how Kitten transformations seemed big in the Marvel fandom but I couldn't seemed to find any in the Harry fandom. Then it turned into omg can you imagine Harry stuck as a cat living with Voldemort or the death eaters. And well it led to this. haha I hope you guys like it. 
> 
> A few things to note, during the summer Voldemort broke his followers out of Azkaban, he also learned something that will have a huge impact on this story but i'm not tell you what it is :). Also Harry, Remus, and Sirius have been exchanging letters since third year, lots of them. Harry did run into the dementors over the summer and did stay at Grimmauld place. The biggest difference is he spent most of that time with Siri, Remus and the twins instead of Ron and Hermione.

**_Harry_ **

Harry stood frozen. Staring in disbelief at the wand pointed at his face. The elderly grey-haired man pointing it at him wore a sneer that Harry had only seen on the likes of Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape's faces. 

“It didn’t have to be like this?” the older man muttered, “but it seems I have no choice.” 

Buried somewhere under the shock, Harry’s brain screamed at him to grab his wand, to raise it up and shout every spell, hex, and curse he had ever heard about, but he couldn’t move. This man had been like a grandfather to him, or so he had thought. 

Right until he had stumbled across a memory hidden away in the Headmaster’s pensieve. Harry hadn’t meant to look, not really, but something drew him in. The memory was an older one of Dumbledore’s. The headmaster was sitting across from Molly Weasley talking at length about a marriage contract between Harry and Ginny. Molly was giving demands about what Ginny would have control over and how much she would inherit upon Harry’s death. The horror of what he was seeing had been enough for Harry to rip himself out of the memory. 

Only seconds later Dumbledore had walked in. 

Harry hadn’t had time to close the door to where the pensieve was hidden or to gather his wits and control his face upon seeing the headmaster. It had been enough for Dumbledore to know that Harry knew and the man had drawn his wand.

_ “Obliviate!” _ The headmaster shouted. Pain surged through his head.He knew he screamed, even if he couldn’t hear it over the pounding in his ears. Then he was falling.He didn’t have time to throw his arms out to catch himself, and even if he did everything was blurring and he wouldn’t have had the strength to hold his weight. Then everything went black. 

  
  
  


“Harry?” 

He groaned and then winced. His head hurt. He reached up to rub his temple, not that it seemed to relieve any of the pain. 

“Harry? My boy are you alright?” He recognized Dumbledore’s voice and looked up at the man. 

“What happened?” He asked. His head was a mess. It was like his thoughts were cloudy and when he tried to remember what happened, everything was just fuzzy. 

“You fainted.” The headmaster said, sticking his hand out to help Harry up.  _ He fainted? Why didn’t that sound right? And where was Madam Pomfrey? Shouldn’t she be here if he fainted? _ He shook his head, trying to clear the doubt. _ Why would the headmaster lie?  _

It took him two attempts to find his feet and when he did he grabbed for his wand. Which made him feel silly. Again he shook his head, though he didn’t put it back in his pocket. 

When he looked at the headmaster, he noticed the man watching him carefully,his blue eyes on Harry’s wand.

“Are you alright, Harry?” Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded. His head felt like it had been kicked in but other than that he felt okay. 

“Then perhaps you should put  _ that  _ away?” The headmaster smiled when he said it but something about the tight smile and pointed look was off. 

The hairs on the back of Harry’s neck stood on end. “What am I doing in your office, Professor?” Harry asked, the wand still held tight in his hand. 

Dumbledore frowned and Harry felt sweat start to build on the base of his neck.  _ Why couldn’t he shake the unsafe feeling?  _

“I asked you here to talk about your classes this year, you don’t remember?” 

Harry shook his head no and winced at the pain that vibrated through his skull. 

“You wanted to drop Divination, I believe?” The headmaster asked. 

Harry thought about it. He had been thinking about dropping that class this year. It was pointless and he was sick of listening to crap predictions about his death. 

“Yeah?” He said, still not really sure. He moved to sit in one of the large chairs before him. His legs shook and he ended up leaning against the back, not quite able to make it all the way. He tried not to notice the way the headmaster tensed when he moved or the fact that Dumbledore's wand was in his hand resting in the old man’s lap. 

“Well do you know what you wished to take instead, my boy?” Dumbledore asked. Harry was stuck with the oddity of it all. The way the headmaster was sitting on the edge of his desk, the way they both held their wands, and the cautious look the man kept giving him. Not to mention the nagging voice in the back of his mind that kept reminding him he would have gone to Professor McGonagall if he wanted to change his classes. 

“Runes.” Harry blurted out. It wasn’t a class he had any real interest in but it was the first thing that came to his mind. Right now he didn’t care about what class he would be stuck in, he wanted out of the headmaster’s office. 

“I see.” The headmaster said tilting his head to the side. “That is a complicated class Harry, are you sure?” 

Frustration filled him and Harry pushed away from the chair, “Ye—” 

Pain surged through his head and he grabbed it crying out. He was barely aware of falling to his knees. The pain in his head was more intense than anything he had ever felt before, including Voldemort’s touch for the end of last year. He clutched at his head, trying not to scream. 

“Harry?” He heard the headmaster say through the ringing in his ears. An image of said headmaster pointing his wand at him crept through his mind, followed by the man shouting a spell at him. Harry gasped and fell forwards, hands going to the floor to keep himself from falling face-first into the carpet. 

_ Fuck _ , he cursed inward, remembering what had happened. He moved his right hand trying to subtly feel for his wand on the floor. He had dropped it when his head had all but exploded, he needed it now. Only he couldn’t find it. 

“Harry, what happened?” He heard Dumbledore get off his desk and tried not to tense. 

“My… head?” he stuttered out, “I think I need to see Madam Pomfrey.” 

“Stand up, Harry.” Gone was the caring gentle tone. Harry cringed and looked up at the man he once trusted. Once again he found the headmaster’s wand pointed at his face though this time the man holding it seemed just as shocked as Harry. 

“How?” The headmaster muttered as he looked Harry over. 

Then something sparked in his eye and the old man sneered, “Tom.” 

“Tom?” Harry asked confused, his right hand still searching the damned floor for his wand. 

“Doesn’t matter.” Dumbledore told him, “Now stand up!” The order was harsh, something akin to Harry’s uncle’s tone when he was pissed and wanted to take his anger out on Harry. Only this time Harry didn’t think he would be able to run away until the anger faded away. 

Carefully he stood up. He tried not to show the old man how scared he was. He had stood against Voldemort, he could stand against Dumbledore. 

“What are you going to do?” He asked, “You can’t obliviate me, _cl_ __e_ arly _ .” He was a little surprised by his own tone. Though perhaps he shouldn’t have been. After all, he had mouthed off to Voldemort, Snape, and Umbridge, so why not the Headmaster. 

Dumbledore’s gaze narrowed, “No, it seems I can not.” With a swish of his wand, Harry found himself tossed into the chair he had been leaning against before, ropes appearing to hold him down. 

“You bas—” He tried to shout but another wave of Dumbledore's wand and he couldn’t make a sound. 

The man moved behind his desk. Harry watched as he searched the shelves for something. 

“You must know Harry, this is not what I planned. You seemed to have a habit, my boy, for ruining my best-laid plans.” The man shot Harry a cold look before he turned away to look at a shelf full of small glass bottles. 

_ Potion bottles,  _ Harry’s mind supplied and his heart started to race.  _ The headmaster was going to kill him.  _ He could feel it in his bones. It didn’t matter what the wizarding world would think. Harry had a feeling the  _ ‘leader of the light’ _ would twist it around to make him look like he died a hero, then use it for his own means. It made him sick to his stomach. How had he not seen it before?  _ Dumbledore was using him.  _ And now that Harry knew, he couldn’t be allowed to live. 

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. He wanted to beg and plead. But even if he wasn’t silenced, he wouldn’t have. He had never begged for his life from the Dark Lord and he wouldn’t do it now. 

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and hope-filled Harry. Before Dumbledore could call for them to enter or tell them to get lost the door opened and Hermione stuck her head in. Her eyes widened when she saw Harry and he tried to call out to her for help. 

“Professor?” She asked, entering the man’s office. The door closing behind her, an uneasy feeling settled in Harry’s stomach. 

The headmaster turned to look at her, he gave her a grim smile, “A small hitch in my plans, my dear, nothing that can’t be handled.” Harry’s blood ran cold as his best friend just nodded her head in acceptance.

“Well, his disappearance from the common room wasn’t missed, Sir, that’s why I am here. Some of the others are starting to ask where he is.” Harry cursed and shouted, though it was all muted by the headmaster’s spell. 

“Tell them he is in detention. I believe he has been serving a number of them with Professor Umbridge.” 

Hermione nodded, “I’m sure Ron can come up with a good enough lie to convince the others.” She said and turned around and headed for the door. “Goodnight, Headmaster.” And then she was gone. 

Harry stared at her completely lost. _ How could she betray him? _ She was supposed to be his friend. He could feel tears falling down his cheeks. First the headmaster and now Hermione, possibly Ron as well.  _ Was it all a lie? _ Were all his friends lying and betraying him?  _ And why?  _ That was the biggest question rattling around in his brain,  _ why?  _

“Ah, here it is.” The headmaster said, suddenly breaking Harry out of his thoughts. 

He watched as the man crossed the room, stopping before Harry, a small purple bottle in his hands. 

“Drink this!” The man demanded. Harry couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows because _ seriously?  _ No way was he going to just drink something the headmaster wanted him too _. What the hell was the man thinking? _

“You know, Harry, there is a very efficient spell that mediwiches use to feed potions to unconscious or uncooperative patients.” The headmaster waved his wand over the bottle muttering something before pointing his wand at Harry’s stomach. Harry could feel it, the sudden weight of something filling his stomach. He tried to struggle against the ropes holding him but it did no good. 

“Now,” The headmaster leaned down and grinned into Harry’s face.  _ “Mutatio Interiorem Bestia.” _

Something inside him snapped and Harry screamed. 


	2. Chapter 2

**_Harry_ **

When he came to his senses he was on the floor, his body sore and shaking. He tried to lift his head but it was heavy. He whined and tried to move his body but everything hurt. 

“This is not how I planned your death, Harry. You were going to die in a battle,  _ willingly _ .Now instead, you will just disappear. Eventually declared dead. Tom will be blamed, of course. The people will flock to me to protect them. After all, I will be all they have left.” He felt hands on the back of his neck and panic flooded him at how large the hands were. Something cold and stiff was locked around his neck and he could feel something in the front weighing it down. 

Harry was picked up and he cried out from fear and pain _.  _

_ He was tiny! _ Able to be lifted by one of the headmaster’s hands. The man lifted Harry so he could see the headmaster’s face. 

Dumbledore was grinning gleefully. “Did you know that Tom has hidden himself away inside Malfoy Manor, Harry?” Harry hissed angrily, barely registering the sound _ , Dumbledore knew where he was? And wasn’t telling anyone? Bastard.  _

“I think I’ll send you to him as a gift. Of course, he will kill you as soon as he reads your little name tag.” There was a chuckle, “Then once you are dead, the grieving wizarding world and the Ministry will beg for mine and the Order’s help.” Harry was carried over to the headmaster’s desk, where the man opened a drawer and pulled out a small button.

“A gift from an old friend.” The man muttered before he pressed the button against Harry’s side. He didn’t get a chance to cry out before he felt like he was being sucked through a straw. 

Harry slammed into the ground hard enough for the air to be knocked out of his lungs. 

He cried out. He wasn’t sure how much more his body could take. Every part of him was throbbing and pulsing in sync with his frantic heartbeat, sending wave after wave of pain through him. 

It took all his willpower to get to his feet,  _ all four of them _ , and look around. It seemed whatever spell the headmaster had cast fixed his eyes as he was able to see the room around him. It was dark and damp, the cool stone floor and walls chilled him even through his new fur. Not to mention how creepy the place felt. Harry shivered.

He heard footsteps approaching and ducked under a nearby table. The tag on his collar, _ a freaking collar,  _ clinked and he dropped down on his stomach, hoping to hide the sound. The man who entered thankfully didn’t see him and Harry was able to relax a little, enough to think anyways. 

He was in Malfoy Manor, he had to be. After what Dumbledore had said it was the only place he could be. Now he had to get this damned tag off before someone found him and read it. 

Then, well then, he could hopefully sneak out before anyone saw him. After that, he had no idea what he was going to do. 

He looked down at his paws and felt a little better at seeing tiny claws. At least he wasn’t completely defenseless. It took him a few minutes to figure out how the claws worked. Getting them to come out and retreat when he willed. His paws took less effort and eventually he had a good idea how to move them correctly. 

With that figured out, he stuck a claw into the leather collar and pushed in slowly. He carefully turned it until he found the clasp and then he started working at it. He had just gotten it open when he heard voices entering the room. 

“What do you think it was?” A woman asked. 

“Probably a stray dog or cat,” a man replied. Harry’s pulse quickened in fear, “animals wander in through the wards from time to time,  Nagini usually catches them before they become a problem.” 

_ Fuck. _

Harry had forgotten about Nagini, Voldemort’s pet snake. He had to get out of here before he became her dinner. He waited until the two death eaters left the room before he finally removed the collar. He started at the green tag, **_Harry James Potter_** , it read in gold etchings. It made him want to rip the headmaster’s head off; the man truly had sent him here to die. 

He wasn’t going to give Albus what he wanted. No way in hell, he would fight until he couldn’t anymore. 

He bit into the collar and dragged it out from under the table and over to a shelf. He carefully used his paws to shove it behind the wood.Hopefully, no one would find it. Then he moved away and started walking out of the room. 

He was panting before he made it halfway. His chest hurt, his legs felt weak, and his head was pounding  _ again _ . He had forgotten just how tired he was. He had been so full of adrenaline and focused on getting the collar off that the exhaustion had faded to the back of his mind. Now he wasn’t sure if he could get out of this room, let alone the Manor and the property outside of it. 

He whined. 

“Well, what do we have here?” A smooth familiar voice asked. Harry was scooped up off the ground. He whined and then hissed when Lucius Malfoy’s face came into view. The man raised an unimpressed eyebrow. 

“So you’re the one that triggered the wards.” Harry gave a hiss of discomfort as he was manhandled and turned upside down. “You seem underfed, kitten, malnourished by the showing of your ribs.” The man hummed and then to Harry’s utter shock, Lucius Malfoy —the proud and uptight pureblood— leaned in close and pressed an ear to Harry’s ribs. Harry couldn’t help but whine out from the jolt of pain he felt when the wizard touched him, “Your breathing is labored and you’re clearly in pain.” 

“Piper!” The man called out suddenly causing Harry to wince. He pressed his head against the man’s chest trying to hide from the sound. A gentle hand landed on his head and Malfoy’s fingers began to move along his fur.It was strangely soothing and helped alleviate some of his pain. Figuring the man would have hexed him already if he was going to, Harry relaxed in the man’s arms and quickly drifted off to sleep. 

**_Lucius_ **

Luc looked down at the neglected kitten in his arms. The small thing had fallen asleep but was still shaking. He sighed. Narcissa had always teased him about his soft spot for animals, but he couldn’t leave this poor kitten to wander around the Manor for his Lord’s snake to find.

A soft pop by his feet had him looking away from the kitten and at one of his house elves. 

“Master called for Piper?” The small thing asked looking up at him. 

“I need food and a bed suitable for a kitten.” The house elf nodded and disappeared. He looked again at his small charge. He didn’t think just food was going to be enough. 

He ran the people living in the manor through his head, trying to think of who was best to ask. Severus of course was the first to come to mind, but his old friend was stuck at Hogwarts. 

He groaned when he realized his next best option was either his Lord or Crouch. 

Neither seemed like a good idea. His Lord, like his wife, would likely tease him or would or order him to put the poor creature out of its misery. Barty however, had a weakness for anything small, cute, or fluffy, Lucius just found the younger Death Eater annoying and tried to avoid him as much as possible. He sighed, Barty was his best option. He frowned as he started walking towards the younger Death Eater’s room,  _ was the kitten wheezing?  _

When Lucius knocked on Barty’s bedroom door, he heard a thump from inside the room. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.The spastic man on the other end had fallen off his bed. 

“Comin’,” Barty shouted, and a second later the door opened. Lucius had opened his eyes with the door and tried not to cringe when the dirty blonde greeted him. 

“Ah Luc—” The younger man’s eyes honed in on the small black bundle in his arms.

“Awww,” he cooed and reached out to pet the kitten. 

Luc smacked his hand away. “It’s hurt,” he said. He pushed past Barty and into the room. 

Luc gently placed the kitten on the other man’s bed, “I found him wandering in the gathering room. He was barely moving and cried out in pain when I moved him. I would normally ask Sev for potions—”

“But he isn’t here.” Barty finished for him. 

“Exactly.” He replied. 

“I think—” Barty said before rushing off to his closet. Lucius watched not the least bit surprised when the other man pulled a trunk out and started going through it. After a couple of minutes Barty stood and handed him three potions. 

“Blue is for pain, Green is nourishment, and Black should help if he has any infections. I would only give him that one if you noticed any inflamed injuries or trouble breathing. The little guy only needs a spoonful of each, let me know if you need more.” Despite his normal avoidance of the younger man Luc was relieved and grateful for the help. 

“Thank you.” He said. Carefully he picked the cat back up and headed for the door. 

“Wait!” Barty called out, with a sigh Luc stopped. A small box was shoved between his arm and body, he raised his eyebrow at Barty. 

“Toys.” The man said with a grin. 

Luc did not roll his eyes though the urge was there. He simply nodded and left the room. 

When he was finally in his room he placed the kitten on his bed and the bottles on his dresser. The small creature hadn’t moved since it had fallen asleep. Luc wasn’t sure if he should wake the poor thing up and give it some of the potions or wait until it woke up on its own. After a second he figured he could get ready for bed, hopefully by the time he was done, Piper would be back with food and bed. He could leave a small plate out for the kitten on the floor. He was a light sleeper and figured the kitten would let him know if it was in pain.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Harry_ **

When Harry woke up, he was laying on something ridiculously soft and fluffy and had to fight against the desire to bury himself in the warmth surrounding him and go back to sleep. But he knew this wasn’t his bed. That thought alone had him opening his eyes. 

The bed beneath him was white and fluffy, and the blanket he had wanted to hide in was Slytherin green. He gave it a confused look and then turned to look at the room he was in. His breath caught when he realized he was on the floor. 

Then everything came flooding back. The headmaster, the spell, and Mister Malfoy finding him. 

Freaked out, he pushed to his feet only to have pain surge down his spine, he cried out and fell back into the bed. He knew he was whimpering. He could hear it but he couldn’t make himself stop. His body felt like it was on fire and there was this itch deep within, it reminded him of when Madam Pomfrey had to regrow his bones in second year. 

“Easy,” the gentle tone from the Death Eater surprised him almost as much as the man’s sudden appearance. He hissed and snapped when Malfoy reached out to touch him. The man didn’t seem bothered, just pulled his hand back.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” The man said calmly before trying again. 

Harry waited until the hand got close enough before he lunged and snapped. He screamed out in agony as jolts of electricity raced through his traumatized body. _Not a smart idea, Harry,_ he thought, as he stumbled and fell back into the bed.

When the Death Eater’s hand appeared again, he whimpered, then weakly tried to snap at the man’s fingers again only to get a flick to the nose. “I have something to help ease your pain, you silly cat, but I can not give it to you if you insist on trying to eat my fingers.” Malfoy’s voice, soft almost teasing tone.

Harry didn’t know what to think of this Lucius Malfoy; he seemed so different from the angry, arrogant man Harry had met in his second year, or the proud man who stood before the pissed off Dark Lord in his 4th year. This man seemed less cold and more calm. It made his head hurt. 

He let out a displeased sound when he was picked up and cradled against Malfoy’s chest. The man made a soothing sound and carried him over to a dresser. 

Harry saw the man reach for a potion bottle and started to panic, images of the last time someone forced him to take a potion running wild in his mind. He tried to ignore all of his pain as he scratched at Malfoy’s hands. All he could think about was getting away. The man let out a hiss of his own when Harry cut deep enough to draw blood and his hold loosened. 

Harry, thinking this was his chance, lunged away from the man, only for a hand to grab the back of his neck and lift him by the scruff. For a second Harry panicked because his body went limp. 

His mind went back to when Fred had threatened to scruff Crookshanks — Hermione's cat — over the summer. He tried to remember the details of what that meant but just remembered it was something done to restrain a kitten often by its mother. Harry shot Malfoy a glare, not that the man seemed to notice. The tall blonde was using his wand to pour some of one of the potions onto a spoon.

“This is for the pain.” Malfoy said as he moved Harry over the dresser and carefully put him down. Harry glared at the spoon, and then back at the wizard. 

Malfoy kept one hand on the back of his neck, though no longer holding him and picked up the spoon with the other, bringing it close to Harry’s mouth. 

Harry thought about it. So far the elder Malfoy hadn’t done anything to hurt him. He seemed to want to help him —well the kitten him, not the Harry him— and he _was_ in a lot of pain. He took a small step forward and sniffed the pink potion, it smelled flowery and a little sweet. Figuring might as well, he stuck out his tongue and licked at the potion. While it smelt alight it tasted funky and he couldn’t help wrinkle his nose and cough at the taste. He heard Malfoy chuckle. Harry turned and hissed at him. The man made a calming noise and started to gently pet his back. 

Harry was tempted to stick his tongue out at the man, but that would be un-cat like and Harry didn’t want to do anything that might give him away. Instead he forced himself to lick and drink the potion until the spoon was empty. 

He was not happy when Malfoy filled the spoon again, this time with a clear potion that smelled like ginger. Thankfully this one didn’t really taste like anything and Harry was able to drink it fairly quick. After that Malfoy put him back in the animal bed he had woken up in. 

Harry laid down, not really sure what else to do. He knew he needed to get away from here, but at the same time, Malfoy was taking care of him. He figured it was smart to wait until he was feeling better before trying to take off. Plus it also gave him time to try and think of a plan for what to do when he got away from the Manor. 

He had started to drift off only to be woken up by the smell of beef stew. He stood up and watched as Malfoy came back into the room, a small plate in one hand and a bowl in the other. 

The plate and bowl were placed a foot or so away from his bed. Forcing Harry to climb out of the bed and carefully approach the plate. The beef stew smelling concoction was in fact mashed meat covered in some kind of sauce. Harry could see peas and carrots mixed in and his stomach grumbled. He cautiously took a bite and moaned at the taste.

He didn’t hear Malfoy leave the room.In fact he didn’t realize he was alone until he had finished off more than half the food and drank his fill. With his stomach full he turned back to the bed and laid down. When he noticed he was completely alone, he thought about getting up and looking around, but he felt too tired, and figured he could nap and snoop later. 

The next few days were much the same. Malfoy forced him to drink the two potions twice a day, then Harry lazed around in his bed. Around the third day, he found he was starting to stay awake longer and had more energy. He had started snooping around Malfoy’s overly large room. But besides a few dozen dark arts books on one of the man’s bookshelves Harry hadn’t found anything interesting. 

By day five, he was bored. He also felt loads better, so when Malfoy opened his bedroom door that morning to go do whatever it was Death Eaters did with their days Harry darted between the man’s legs and out the door. He heard the Malfoy curse behind him, but Harry raced around a corner and then another hoping to lose the man. When he didn’t hear any footsteps chasing him he slowed down and started to look around. 

The room he had appeared in that first day had been dark and cold, while Malfoy’s room had been warm and comfortable. The hallway he found himself in now was a mix of both, the stone walls gave off a cool feeling but the warm glow of lanterns along the wall made the hallway bright. 

The first room he found was a bedroom.The door had been cracked open and when Harry entered he found a mess. Clothes, shoes, and bedding tossed everywhere. He cautiously moved towards the bed, but when he saw a woman with messy black hair asleep he backed out of the room... slowly, not wanting to wake the insane witch. 

The next two rooms were neater. The first had a man sitting up in bed reading. The man had given him a strange look when he entered but quickly went back to his book, seemingly uninterested in Harry. No one was in the second room but Harry saw a broom in the corner and wondered if cats could fly. Then he laughed at himself, because while that might be funny as hell to see, it was impossible. 

He found a library next. 

There was a large fire blazing at the center of the room, heating the room. Harry was sure the woman reading in one of the large back chairs was Draco’s mother. He thought about going up to her and seeing what she would do but decided against it. 

He hadn’t even entered the potions lab. Just sticking his head in was enough to remind him of potions class and Snape. After the lab he found several more bedrooms but didn’t spare any time snooping around in them. He could always come back later. 

He was a little sad when he entered the kitchen and it was empty. His stomach was starting to growl at him and he was hoping he could find food. Leaving he noticed his feet, or paws, whatever, were starting to hurt from all his walking and he debated heading back to Malfoy’s room, if he could find it, when he heard a voice he recognized. 

“-- Headmaster’s trying to hide it.” Snape said, and Harry rushed to find where the voice was coming from. 

“Are you sure?” another voice asked. Something about it was familiar. 

“I am.” 

Harry rounded a corner and found another library. Snape was standing with his back to Harry, a blonde man at his right, and they were both facing someone who was sitting. 

“Does anyone else know?” The sitting man asked, and Harry almost gasped. _Voldemort._ The man wasn’t the snake creature that he had been after the ritual in the cemetery. In fact, he looked more like the diary version of Riddle, only slightly older, nothing like the man that Harry had witnessed climb out of a cauldron. He even had dark brown hair instead of scales on top of his head. 

“I believe Granger and Weasley know, though I have no proof.” Snape said with a sigh, “something about it doesn’t add up, My Lord.”

“What do you mean?” Harry forced himself to look away from the surprising human looking Voldemort to look at Snape. The potions master was frowning. 

“Potter wouldn’t just disappear. He’s too thick headed and stubborn to have wandered off alone and no one could have gotten to him inside the school. But the fact that Dumbledore has not announced that Potter is gone, is what is telling. When asked he simply says that the brat is in the hospital wing.” 

“Which he’s not?” The other man in the room asked. 

“No.” 

“What of the Order?” Voldemort asked. 

“As far as I can tell, they know nothing.” Snape said. 

“Not even Black or the wolf?” Harry watched as Snape shook his head. 

He wanted to scratch the man, yet at the same time, he wanted to tell Snape that he was right here and demand he take him home. Which was stupid; he didn’t even know where the potion masters true loyalties lie. 

He must have made a noise because the man next to Snape turned and looked at him. The man looked familiar as he smiled at Harry, “Well look who finally escaped Lucius’ bedroom.” 

Harry backed up as the man moved towards him and even managed to dodge away when the man tried to pick him up a couple times but his attention was so focused on this man he hadn’t heard anyone else move, not until a hand came under his stomach and picked him up. He yelped. He was turned ready to hiss and claw and whoever it, but froze when he saw crimson eyes looking at him.

“What is this?” Voldemort asked looking away from him and at the man that had been trying to catch him. 

“Ohh Luc found him a few days ago, poor little guy was sick and hurt.” Harry heard Snape sigh but couldn’t take his eyes off of the Dark Lord who was still holding him. Harry was a little weirded out when the man’s crimson eyes faded to blue. 

“How many’s that now Severus?” Voldemort asked Snape. 

“I believe seven, My Lord.” Snape sounded resigned, “there was the falcon with the broken wing that Barty found. The fox, Rabastan just had to rescue. The two turtles, Barty released into the pond. That horrid owl Luc saved, the one that pecks everyone but Bella. The rabbit Luc found and gifted to Rosier’s niece, and the lizard that is now living in the garden, another of Luc’s, I believe.” 

“Don’t forget the hedgehog.” Barty teased. Harry recognized him now. 

Harry actually saw Snape shudder, “as if I could.” 

“And now we have a cat.” Voldemort said. The man brought the hand not holding him up, and _no way in hell_ was Harry going to let the Dark Lord _pet_ him. He swiped his paw at the man, hissing at him for good measure. The Dark Lord raised an eyebrow, then Harry's stomach growled. He found himself grateful cat’s couldn’t blush or he would have died from embarrassment.

Voldemort chuckled. “Barty, please go feed your little friend.” 

“Yes, sir.” Barty said, rushing forward and grabbing Harry. He tried to hiss at the man but he was crushed against Barty’s chest before he could. He debated scratching the man for the manhandling but figured the ex-defence teacher/spy was taking him away from Voldemort so he would let it go. 

When they entered the kitchen Barty placed him on the counter and started looking through cabinets. Harry debated jumping off and finding Malfoy’s room but when Barty started muttering and cursing at the cabinets he found himself too amused. 

Harry laid down on the counter and watched as the Death Eater grumbled and muttered at the items inside. It only got better when the man got excited over some kind of meat sticks he found and he rushed over and held it out to Harry. Who sniffed it and took a small bite. It was peppery but good and he found himself munching on the jerky while the death eater rushed off to search for something else.

Sometimes later Malfoy entered the kitchen.

“Crouch, what are you doing?” 

Harry wanted to snort, because Barty had piled about a dozen cans on one end of the counter and a few packages of some kind of white meat next to them and yet the man was still rummaging through cabinets. 

“Trying to find something to feed your kitten,” the man replied, his head inside the cabinet he was currently searching. 

The blonde patriarch let out a long sigh, and looked down at Harry, “the man’s insane.” he whispered, reaching down to pet Harry’s head. Then a little louder so Barty could hear he added, “He _is_ eating.” 

Harry leaned into the gentle fingers a little, only a tiny bit ashamed of himself. 

“He’s eating one of those meat sticks Rodolphus is obsessed with. That’s not food, Luc.”

Harry watched as Malfoy leaned against the counter and picked up one of the meat sticks. The man smelled it and made a disgusted face. Harry didn’t understand why, the sticks were pretty good, as if to make that point he dropped the one he was eating and used his paws to steal the second out of Malfoy’s hand. The blonde just gave him a look, then just went back to petting him. 

“Bartemius, why not ask a house elf for help.” Lucius said with a smirk. 

“Do not call me that!” Barty shouted coming out from the cabinet he had been looking through, his face was red as he glared at Malfoy. Harry watched as the two stared at each other, and for a second he wondered if he was going to have to get out of hexing range. But neither wizard drew their wands. 

After a couple tense seconds Barty’s shoulders dropped, “I wanted to do it,” the man muttered. 

“Pardon?” Malfoy asked and Harry got the feeling that the man was teasing the younger Death Eater.

“I wanted to make the cat food, you prick.” Barty snapped. “Don’t you have Severus here to pick on? Go away.” Harry’s mouth fell open when Barty actually made a shooing motion with his hand towards Malfoy. The older man raised an eyebrow, shook his head then turned and walked away. 

The interaction seemed to have made Barty lose some of his excitement,because not even a minute after Malfoy disappeared, a house elf was called. Barty ordered the small creature to make Harry dinner. Then the damned Death Eater tried to take away Harry’s meat sticks, well meat stick, as he had almost finished the first one. Harry had growled and stuck his claws into the man's hand. Barty winced and pulled his hand back. He would have grinned if he had been human instead he just stared at the man, challenging him to try again. Barty snorted eventually and left him alone. 

The Death Eater didn’t even seem upset when Harry was too full to finish off the food the house elf made. He just took the plate away and sat Harry on the ground. 

Which Harry took full advantage of as he darted off again. He wanted to see if he could find Voldemort again and spy on the man. Maybe he would learn something useful and be able to use it against the man later. 

Harry spent the rest of the day exploring, trying to learn the layout of Malfoy Manor. Which didn’t go as planned, as the place was huge, and he kept getting turned around and lost. By the time he climbed into the small cat bed that night, he realized he had spent a whole day among Death Eaters and the Dark Lord and they had all seemed so _bloody_ normal. Nothing like the dark terrifying monsters he had always imagined. 


	4. Chapter 4

**_Harry_ **

The next day he wandered back into the first library he found and tried to find a book about animal transformation. His size and lack of hands made the task nearly impossible. He was only able to read the titles of books on the bottom two shelves. The books seemed to cover everything: Potions, Runes, Spellcrafting, Bloodrites, and something called Dreamwalking, that he wanted to try reading. 

But none of the titles he could see mentioned animals or transformations. He pulled a couple potions books off the shelves and winced when they dropped with a thud. But after scanning a few pages, he couldn’t find anything like the one the Headmaster had used on him.

He finally got so frustrated that he just pulled random books down and looked at them. He was in the process of trying to pull one off the third shelf, standing on his hindlegs he stretched as far as his new body would let him, his claws in the bottom of the book, tugging it out millimetre by millimetre.

“What are you up to?” A voice asked from behind him. 

Harry jumped and cried out when the book landed on his head. The man who had startled him, chuckled. The stranger looked exhausted, with dark circles under his blue eyes. His long black hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, pieces hangout out here and there. 

“What is it, Rod?” Another voice asked entering the room. 

“Luc’s kitten is messin’ up the library.” The man replied before reaching down for Harry. Having a fairly good idea who the two men were from the papers he read at the start of the school year, he ducked under the hand and ran for the door. 

He heard one of them chuckle before he was levitated off the floor and flown into the second man’s hands. 

“Bastan, take him to Barty or Sev, if Narcissa sees the mess he made in her library, she’ll skin him.” 

That didn’t sound like a joke.

Landing in the other Death Eater’s arms he didn’t resist. He figured he would be better off with the animal obsessed Barty or even Snape, than an angry Narcissa. At least that was the idea he was getting from the two men he assumed were the Lestrange brothers. 

The one called Bastan carried him down a hallway, where he knocked on a door. When there was no answer they turned and walked away. With a sinking feeling in his stomach Harry realized where they were headed. He wasn’t happy at all when they came to the Potions lab he had seen before when searching the Manor. He even scratched the hand of the man holding him, letting him know how he felt about it. The man just shifted his hold on Harry making it harder for him to attack his hands. 

Harry had really hoped he’d end up with Barty. Despite the man’s actions last year, Harry found he kinda like the blond Death Eater. 

Snape didn’t look up as they entered, just studied the cauldron in front of him. Bastan gently set Harry down and then backed out of the room… carefully. Harry watched feeling a little confused,  _ Was the man trying to sneak out? _

He got his answer when Snape looked up at him and his eyes narrowed, “Rabastan! A cat does not belong in my lab! Get it out!” 

There was a laugh from outside in the hallway but the man did not come back. Feeling anxious under his Professor’s dark glare, Harry turned and jumped onto the nearby shelf. 

A bottle fell and Harry winced and climbed higher. He heard Snape curse under his breath but then the man’s potion started boiling and he seemed to forget Harry existed. Relieved, Harry found a high spot on the top of one of the many shelves and laid down. 

It was strange watching Snape work. In class the man normally prowled the walkways glaring at the non-Slytherin students, muttering and taking off points. But here he seemed different, focused and relaxed. There was a tension missing from his back and shoulders and the always present sneer was missing. The man looked almost content. 

Harry wasn’t sure how much time went by, but just as Snape started bottling his grayish potion, Harry’s stomach grumbled, causing the man’s head to swing up towards him. Harry tried wiggling back further but his tail and butt were already pressed against the wall. He settled for ducking his head and trying to become invisible. 

There was a sigh as the professor put the bottles down and then walked over to the shelf Harry was hiding on. 

“Come here,” the potion’s master said gently, hand out. Bewildered by the soft tone Harry eyed the man, their eyes met and for a second the world froze. 

Snape gasped and reached out quicker than Harry could react. Suddenly he was picked up and dangling from the potion maker's hand. Their eyes locked on each other. It hit him like a punch to the stomach, _ Snape knew! _ Somehow the man knew who he was. 

Snape waved his wand, closing the door with a loud thud. Then he put Harry down on the work table he had just been brewing at. Harry tried to back away, scared and unsure. Snape caught him by the back of his neck and held him in place. 

“Potter?” Snape asked. Part of him said not to react, act like a normal cat and maybe Snape would think he’d made a mistake, the other part, the one desperate to be human again had him whimpering before he could stop himself.

“How?” Snape whispered looking for the first time ever, at least that Harry had seen, confused. Harry hissed angrily because he couldn’t actually talk. Not that he was sure Snape would believe him anyways. 

He tried not to shake as the man raised his wand and started muttering spell after spell. After a while it became clear the potion’s master wasn’t liking whatever it was he was seeing. 

“A hex, maybe.” he heard Snape mutter under his breath. 

Then the potion’s lab door opened and Malfoy and Voldemort walked in. Harry looked up at the Potion Master in horror,  _ would Snape tell?  _ Snape’s reaction was better controlled, he picked up Harry pulling him close to his chest before looking at the other men in the room. 

“My Lord,” Snape gave a slight bow of his head, “Lucius, what can I do for you?” 

“There is an Order meeting tonight, correct?” Voldemort asked. Harry was sure the man knew the answer already.

“There is.” Snape replied and though the man’s voice was calm and even, Harry’s head was pressed against the man’s chest and he could hear just how fast the Professor’s heart raced. 

“Do you believe Albus will tell them about Potter’s disappearance?” The hands holding him tightened a fraction and Harry got the impression Snape was worried... _ about him. _

“I do not know. He still hasn’t admitted it to the staff or Potter’s friends.” Harry couldn’t help but hiss at the word, which gained him a squeeze from Snape's arms. “I’m not sure what the old fool is planning.” 

The room fell silent as Voldemort seemed to think about it, 

“Do you think Potter is dead?” Malfoy asked after a second and Harry almost cried out from the way Snape’s arms started to crush him. He must have yelped or whined because the man muttered an apology and loosened his hold. 

Snape's reaction was nothing compared to the hiss that the Dark Lord let out. 

“He is not dead.” 

Harry watched completely confused as Lucius dropped his head to hide from the angry glare Voldemort turned and gave him. “I apologize, my Lord.” 

_ What the hell? _ He thought,  _ why would Voldemort care if he was dead? Wouldn’t that be a good thing for the Dark Lord and his followers?  _

He looked up at Snape, the man gave a slight shake of his head, like he was telling Harry not now. 

Frustrated Harry dug his claws into the Potion’s master’s hand. He was only slightly impressed when Snape drew in a deep breath from the pain instead of crying out and dropping him... like he had hoped. Although Snape did glare down at him.

“You will tell me everything that happens, Severus, understood?” Voldemort ordered making the man look up. 

“Of course, my Lord.” 

Not a minute later, Snape and him were alone in the room.

“That was childish, Potter.” The man snapped before dropping him onto the counter once again. Harry stuck his tongue out at the man feeling a little relieved that he could do something to show he wasn’t just a damn cat. 

“From your reaction, am I to assume one of your friends did this?” The man asked sitting down on a stool in front of Harry. 

He started to shake his head no, then stopped,  _ Dumbledore had been his friend hadn’t he? _ At least Harry had thought he had been, he nodded. 

Snape tilted his head. “A friend, but not Granger or Weasley?” 

Harry nodded again. 

“The Headmaster.” Snape said a second later and Harry growled. 

A bottle near where the man sat exploded, Harry meowed out in surprise and would have fallen off of the counter if Snape hadn’t caught him. 

Instead of placing him back where he had been, Snape cuddled him. He was confused until the man stood up and walked out of the potions lab. It felt a little weird being held close against the man. Snape knew who he was, knew he was a person and not a cat like the others when they carried him around. 

Snape took him down a hallway Harry hadn’t explored yet and then dropped him on a large bed. The cover was dark green and smelled like spice, a smell Harry was sure belonged to the Professor. Surprised, he quickly took in the room. Snape’s bedroom was different than he expected, brighter, cleaner, less potiony. He snorted at his thought. 

Sure Harry could see a number of potions books, well a number of books he assumed were potions. But there were no cauldrons, no herbs, spices, or other plants hanging from the ceiling. No strange things in jars amongst the man’s shelves. 

“Are you finished?” Snape asked in a voice Harry had heard far too many times when he had pissed the professor off. He dropped his head down, hoping it looked like he was sorry. Then he sat down and looked at the man.

“The headmaster did this?” The man said, and even though it wasn’t a question, not really, Harry nodded. “Do you know why?” 

Harry thought about it, then nodded. 

The man sighed and started looking over things on a dark wooden desk in the corner. 

“Come here.” The man ordered after a second. Harry meowed at him, wishing he could tell Snape off for ordering him around. Then he jumped off the bed and stopped at Snape’s feet. The man bent down and gently picked him up. He was placed on the desk, a piece of parchment and a bottle of ink laid out before him. 

Getting the idea without Snape saying anything Harry forced out one of his claws and stuck it in the ink. 

It was ridiculously difficult to get his paw and claw to move like a human hand, let alone a quill. He growled out as he wrote letter by letter about the memory he had seen. 

When he was done, he sat back and watched as Snape read the paper. He felt a little embarrassed by how messy the words were but then he remembered he was a  _ bloody cat _ and that he shouldn’t be ashamed of it.

“Potter…” The man looked down at him. Harry tried to understand the sad look in the man’s eyes. Snape hated him, why would he look sad about what Molly and Dumbledore had planned? 

Snape cleared his throat, “Harry, I’m sorry. I didn’t know and will see if there is a way to destroy the contract.” Harry’s eyes widened. He wanted to ask why, wanted to thank him, but all that came out was a short whine. Snape seemed to understand because he dropped back on his desk chair. 

“Did you know your mother and I were friends?” 

Harry forgot how to breath, _ What?  _

“We grew up next door to each other. I was the one to tell her she was a witch and about magic. We spent our childhood, running around playing and exploring the little magic we could use.” 

The man took a breath, “When we started Hogwarts, she swore that even if we were in different houses we would remain friends. And for a while we did.” Snape suddenly dropped his head to look down at the floor. 

“Over the years, we started drifting apart. Her friends discourage her from being friends with a dark wizard, a Slytherin. Mine telling me I shouldn’t waste my time with a Gryffindor or a light witch. For six years we ignored them. The only person that didn’t seem bothered was your bloody wolf. He kept Po--James and Black distracted well enough when Lily asked. Lily and I studied together, partnered in potions, spent weekends together in Hogsmeade. I truly thought we’d be friends forever.” Snape sighed as he lifted a hand, running it through his pitch black hair, causing it to come loose and fall forward.

“I ruined it.” The man muttered, Harry let out a soft whine, needing to know more. Snape looked at him, “Your father and I… we were much like you and Draco. Although you two seem less.. _.hostile _ towards each other. During one of our many fights, P--James,” Snape stopped. He seemed unsure how to finish. “He humiliated me with a prank. I was angry, embarrassed, hurt. Lily tried to help me. She stood up for me and it was worse. That I needed to be defended, that I hadn’t been able to handle your bloody father and his mutt friend. I snapped at her. I was cruel and mean and regretted it the second the words left my mouth. But it was too late. I had crushed her. She ran off, and no matter how much I apologized, she never forgave me. With a few careless words I destroyed our friendship.” 

Harry’s head spun. He tried to picture it, the friendship between a young Snape and his mom. But he couldn’t. Maybe it was because he didn’t know his mother or because picturing Snape young was weird. But still, it made sense. Snape had saved his life several times since he started Hogwarts and it always bothered Harry, because he didn’t know why the professor had done it. 

The twins had joked about Snape not wanting to deal with the fallout of a dead savior. But if Snape had cared about his mom, maybe he felt like protecting Harry was something she would have wanted. And his clear dislike and cold attitude would be because the man hated James Potter. 

Harry looked at the professor who had his head in his hands. He gave it a second of thought, before he jumped off the desk and onto the man’s lap. Snape jumped but grabbed Harry as if to stop him from falling off. 

“The hell--” Harry couldn’t say the words but he meowed and nudged the man’s hand. It wasn’t just a thank you for telling him or protecting him, it was an apology. 

It was clear Snape still cared about Harry’s mother and that he had grieved her loss. Harry had met many people that talked about his father, who missed him, and who had grieved his death. But he hadn’t met many that felt the same for his mother. He knew Remus and Sirius did, but not in the same way they grieved James. And Harry’s aunt hadn’t seemed to care at all. 

Harry had always felt an ache at being the only person who seemed to mourn her, but finding out he wasn’t alone and that there was someone who loved her, cared for her, missed her, it made him… well it hurt... but at the same time it helped. It was like something had been missing. He hadn’t realized he started to cry until he heard Snape make a soothing sound and he was pulled close to the man.    
  


He must have fallen asleep because he woke up some time later to the sound of Snape moving around the room. He opened his eyes to see the professor slipping on a long coat and grabbing his wand. Harry remembered Voldemort mentioning an Order meeting. He stood up, a little wobbly from being asleep, and jumped off the bed. He rushed toward the door and stood in the way, blocking the other man’s exit. 

Snape looked at him with an eyebrow raised, “What?” 

Harry wondered how to convey that he wanted to go. He looked at the door and then back at Snape, then he did it again. 

“No.” The man said, sternly. Harry hissed and looked back and forth again. 

“I can’t take you. Dumbledore would recognize you and even if by some miracle he didn't, the others would wonder about a strange cat showing up at Headquarters.” Harry growled. He knew the man was right, but he needed to see Sirius. 

“Pot- Harry, I know you want to go back. Probably for that bloody mutt. But Dumbledore can not know you are alive. He clearly expected you to die when he sent you here. If he learns otherwise, he will try to remedy his mistake.” Harry dropped his head. 

“Give me time.” He looked back up at Snape, “I don’t know what he used on you. But almost all hexes and curses have a counter, I just need to find it.” The man walked over and bent down to look at Harry. “I will find it.” He said before standing back up and leaving the room. 

Harry was angry and frustrated when he left Snape’s room. He wished he could practice a few spells or fly, anything to take off some of the burning anger inside him. But he couldn’t, so instead he explored the manor some more. 

He found Barty, the Lestrange brothers, and a man he didn’t know sitting by a fireplace a short time later. Not caring about how weird it was, he meowed at Barty’s feet until the blond picked him up and placed him in his lap. He crawled up and felt himself relax as Barty’s fingers started moving along his spine. It tickled a little at first but slowly he felt his body unwind, some of his anger fading away. He laid there listening to the four banter, mostly about spells they liked or hated, and he drifted in and out of sleep as they talked. Strangely content for the time being, at least until Snape barged in sometime later, panting and red in the face. 

“Dumbledore told the Order Potter is dead!” The potion master growled out. Not a second later everything exploded. 


	5. Chapter 5

**_Harry_ **

  
  


He panicked as a wave of magic shot through the room and everything started to shake and rattle. Then with a loud roar the fireplace erupted, causing Barty to scream as he and the others tried to scramble away from the building flames,with Barty clutching him close the whole time.

“My Lord!” Harry heard Snape shout, but it was muted by all the power that was quickly filling the room. 

Harry looked around until he found the source. The Dark Lord stood in front of a dark green couch, his wand out but at his side, eyes burning red. Lucius sat behind him wide eyed and pale. 

“My Lord!” Harry was sure it was Barty that screamed this time, but the Dark Lord didn’t react. Harry tried to understand it, this reaction.  _ Why did Voldemort care that he was dead? Why was he so angry? And why did all the death eaters look terrified. _

“Tom!” 

Everything and everyone stopped. 

There was a clatter as things fell to the floor and Harry watched as the Dark Lord turned toward Lucius. The blonde stood and took Voldemort’s wrist sliding his own hand down to take his lord’s hand. Harry watched transfixed, as Malfoy leaned in and whispered something into the Dark Lord’s ear. Whatever the blond said seemed to calm the other man,because the feeling of tension and magic in the air dwindled down to nothing.

“Severus, you implied it wasn’t the truth.” The Dark Lord turned and stared at Snape. 

The man nodded, “I believe he is lying. I just don’t know the reason why. All I can assume is Potter is missing, and either Dumbledore is hiding him or doesn’t know where he has gone.” 

“Are you sure?” Harry looked away from Snape and towards Voldemort, had the man sounded... _ worried? _ The man’s eyes had changed back to a light blue and he really did look concerned.  _ What the hell?  _

“Positive.” Snape said. 

“Can you find Potter?” Harry snorted, it came out choked and from the twitch he saw of Snape’s mouth the sound hadn’t been missed. 

“I can try.” The man said, but Harry saw the side eyed glare the Potion Master sent his way.

“Do it.” 

The dismissal was clear and Harry wiggled and squirmed until Barty put him down. He darted out of the room and almost crashed into Snape’s legs. It seemed the man had been waiting for him. Snape snorted before reaching down and picking him up. 

“That was foolish.” The man whispered, “I don’t know what he wants with you. You should be more careful.” Harry nodded his head in understanding. 

They ended up back in Snape’s room. The man called for an elf as he dropped, literally dropped, Harry onto the bed. Harry righted himself on the bed glaring at Snape, the man smirked and ordered them dinner. 

While they waited, Snape removed his coat and shoes. Harry watched as again the professor sat down behind the desk, picking up the parchment and looking at it. Harry meowed loudly. The man ignored him. Harry hissed and went to jump off the bed, only to be caught in the air by magic and dropped back onto the bed. He hissed at Snape who still wasn’t looking at him. 

_ Dammit! He had questions.  _ The headmaster just told everyone he was dead _. What about Sirius and Remus? How had they reacted? Did they believe him? _ He growled and tried to jump off the bed again. Failing again. 

“Dammit, Potter, I’m trying to think!” Snape shouted at him, finally looking away from the parchment and up at Harry. 

Harry meowed at him. 

The man dropped the parchment on the desk, “You worried about the mongrel and Lupin, I take it?” Harry nodded. “Black destroyed the dining room and kitchen before your wolf was able to take away his wand and drag him upstairs.” Harry meowed,  _ why the hell didn’t you tell them I wasn't dead!  _

“I don't know what you're saying,” the man muttered, “I can assume it's about you not being dead?” Harry nodded, it wasn’t exactly what he said but close enough. 

“And pray tell, how would I go about telling them that? Would I tell them you are here, living amongst their enemies? Or that the headmaster himself cursed you and wished you dead by the Dark Lord’s hand? Or maybe I should tell them how while you are alive you’re trapped in this form and that I have yet to find a way to help?” Harry stopped glaring at the man. 

“Harry, if I told them, they’d want me to bring you there. And that is _ if  _ they believed me. And I don’t see the Order believing that Albus would do this to you. They would think I had a hand in it and take you straight to him. I can’t help you if you aren’t here.” He hadn’t heard Snape move but the bed dipped suddenly and there was a hand petting his head.

“I will try to find a way to tell Black or Lupin. But for now it’s too dangerous,” the man said quietly. “I’m sorry.”    
  


It was a week later before Harry did something completely rash and stupid. Something he knew Snape was going to lecture him for. 

He had taken to stalking the Death Eaters around the manor, namely Lucius and Barty. Mostly because he liked Barty. And because he was dying to find out what it was between Malfoy and the Dark Lord that had allowed Malfoy to use Riddle’s real name and to touch him the way he had. 

So far Lucius had only spent a short amount of time around the Dark Lord and Harry was right, there was something there. Malfoy leaned into the older man, touched him, whispered to him when others were around, and more than once Harry had seen the Dark Lord touch Malfoy gently, either on the hand or cheek. It was strange. He never thought about Voldemort having a lover or being gentle with someone. But it was clear that he and Malfoy were in some kind of relationship. And it seemed the others all knew, even Narcissa, and they didn’t care.    


It was during one of his stalking trips he heard Barty telling Rodolphus he was going to take a trip to Diagon alley to buy some things he needed.

Harry’s ears had perked up as he remembered the twins sending him an owl about a new shop they had bought. They had vowed him to secrecy as they had to finish school first and if their mother found out she’d kill them. 

They had told him about how they planned to open this coming summer right after they graduated. If Harry was right, it was a weekend and they might just be at the shop setting things up. Or at least that was his hope as he chased after Barty meowing and whining until the man picked him up. 

“You want to come?” The blond asked with a grin. “I bet we can find you some toys or a better bed. I heard you tore a hole in the one Luc got you.” Harry tried not to drop his head in embarrassment. He had had a nightmare about Dumbledore and half asleep he had clawed and ripped at the bed, as if he was trying to get away. 

Malfoy hadn’t seemed upset, just repaired it. But Harry hadn’t been able to lay in it again. Which led to him sleeping in awkward places. More than once in the last week he'd woken up in Barty or Malfoy's beds. He had squealed and rolled off Barty's bed the first time but now he just woke up and jumped off trying not to think about it. 

Shaking off his thoughts he pawed at the blond Death Eater's hand. The man patted him and started walking towards the Manor’s front doors. Barty waved his wand, glamouring himself, and then he carried Harry out of the house, past the wards, and apparated them to London. 

It didn’t take long for the blond to find his way through busy streets and into the Leaky Calderon. 

Harry waited until Barty was distracted outside one of the shops before he jumped out of his arms and took off. He heard the man shout and call out but he didn’t stop. 

It was hard to find the twins ’ shop from his low level. Craning his head upwards and walking was horrible and he found himself stumbling and crashing into a number of people before he heard a voice he knew. 

“Fred, we can’t just live above the shop.” George said. Both redheads were a few feet away from Harry. They had bags in their hands heading towards the way Harry just came from. 

“Why not!” Fred asked, “think about it, we’d never be late.” Harry heard them laugh as he darted across the crowded street. He ended up in front of them, howling with everything he had. 

From the shrieks he heard, he had scared the hell out of the brothers. Fred quickly shoved his bags at his brother and bent down to check Harry over. 

“He doesn’t look hurt.” The twin said to his brother. 

Harry meowed when Fred went to stand. The redhead raised an eyebrow and crouched again. Harry seeing his chance leaped toward the twin who cursed as he caught him. Harry let out a purring noise and tried to burrow into Fred’s chest. 

“The hell?” He heard one of them mutter but he didn't care. He had gotten to them and they would take him into the shop and he would somehow get them to figure out who he was.  _ He had to. _

Thankfully the twins did what he wanted and he was only placed on the floor once he was inside their shop, which was impressive as hell as he took the time to look it over. From the stocked shelves he could see the twins had been busy and he was surprised they were waiting until next summer to open. 

“Alright kitty, what’s wrong?” George asked after he had dropped all their bags on the store counter. Both redheads had dropped to their knees and were looking at him with big concerned eyes. 

He whined and tried desperately to think of something. 

George looked over at his brother, both looked more than a little confused. 

“You think he’s sick?” Fred asked. 

“He doesn’t sound like it.” George replied.

Harry looked around the shop until he saw a small broom on one of the shelves. In fact, there were a number of them, he walked over and nudged it with his nose until it hit the floor. Then he started to look around again. He found a small red and gold blanket that when he tried to drag it off the shelf it started floating. Which led to him squeaking loudly in surprise, the twins laughing behind him. He turned his head as much as he could to glare at them. 

George seemed to somber up a little at the glare. The twin gave Harry a searching look before he waved his wand and the blanket fell to the floor. Harry huffed before turning and dragging it to the broom. Once the two items were together he tried to find anything else that might make the twins think of him. 

A fake galleon and a stuffed wolf later, Harry almost jumped out of his skin when he was picked up and he found himself face to face with two shocked redheads. 

“Harry?” They said at once and Harry meowed and licked Fred’s nose. 

“But--”

“Mom--

“Said--

“Dumbledore--” He cut them off with a growl and a hiss. The brothers looked at each and then back at him. 

“What happened?” Harry sent George a glare at the question which got a chuckle out of the other twin. 

“Umm ink?” George asked, carrying Harry over to their counter. And like Snape before them the twins pulled out a bottle of ink and a few pieces of parchment. 

It took more time than he would have liked to write a list of facts. 

_ \-- Dumbles evil. _

_ \-- Cursed me _

_ \-- Him and your mom made Marriage contract btw me and Ginny _

_ \-- Dumbledore sent me to LV _

_ \-- LV doesn’t know who I am (thankfully) _

_ \-- Snape does. Trying to help. _

He sat back and stared at it, wishing he could write out the actual details because this just looked ridiculous. He sighed, nothing he could really do about it. 

“The hell,” they muttered together. 

“The headmaster did this?” Fred asked looking at him, fear and worry in his eyes. 

Harry nodded. 

“He sent you to You-Know-Who to get you killed didn’t he?” George asked. 

Again Harry nodded. 

“Fuck.” They muttered together. 

“Do you think you can trust Snape?” George asked.

Harry pawed at the parchment in the redhead’s hand. George set it down. 

_ Snape and my mum were friends  _

He clawed out carefully. 

“Really?” Fred asked, sounding as bewildered as Harry had been when he found out. He nodded his head. 

“Okay.” One of them muttered. 

“Was it a spell?” George asked suddenly. 

Harry hesitated then shook his head. 

The twins shared a look before Fred started writing down something on the parchment. 

Harry would have laughed if he could have when Fred finished and turned it toward him. 

Random words scattered across the paper. 

**_Yes. No. Maybe. Unsure._ **

**_Spell. Hex. Curse. Charm._ **

**_Potion. Drink. Eat._ **

**_Green. Red. Yellow. Blue. White. Black. Brown. Mixed._ **

**_Friend. Foe. Lover._ **

**_Help. Danger. Fine. Hurt. Sick. Safe. Stop._ **

**_Be Careful._ **

The twins must have noticed his amusement because they chuckled and then Fred patted his head. 

“Okay, let's try this again.” George said, sounding amused. 

“How’d he do it?” Harry pawed at  **Spell** and  **Potion.**

“Both?” Fred asked. 

Harry hit the  **yes.**

“Do you remember the spell?” 

He hit the  **no.** Then thought about it and hit **maybe** and **unsure**

“Remember anything about the potion?” 

Sadly he had to hit the  **no** again. The headmaster had magicked it into him, so he hadn’t gotten to smell or taste it. 

“What did it feel like?” 

**Hurt. Sick.**

He saw both brothers wince, “sorry,” they said together. 

“Does the headmaster know you're alive?” 

He hit  **no** , and hoped he was right. 

“Snape’s trying to figure out a counter?” Fred asked, leaning down and petting Harry’s head. Harry pushed his head into the hand enjoying the feeling before he used his paw to tap the  **yes.**

“He got any ideas?” George asked, pushing his brother’s hand aside so he could pet Harry too. 

He thought about it. Snape had only known a few days and Harry had seen him looking through book after book, but he hadn’t mentioned if he was having any luck. Not sure, he tapped the  **unsure.**

“Should we ask him?” Fred asked and Harry pulled his head out from under their hands to look up at them. 

He knew the potions master wasn’t going to be happy about him finding the twins and telling them, but they were his friends and brilliant when it came to spells and potions. They might have an idea that the Professor didn’t. He leaned down and hit the  **yes** and then  **be careful.** Because he couldn’t have anyone else overhearing them talking to Snape.

“Harry, what about Sirius and Remus?” George asked and Harry whined. He hit  **Friend, Danger, Be careful.** The twins gave him a confused look. 

“Their friends, but are dangerous?” He hit  **yes** and then  **no** . 

“They're in danger?” George asked. Harry hit **yes.**

Fred made an  _ ah ha _ sound, “Snape’s worried they’ll blame him?” He hit  **yes.**

“Okay,” the twins muttered together, “so we can’t tell them because they will go to the headmaster, who did this to you,” Harry nodded. “And we can’t ask anyone for help besides Snape, because we don’t know who to trust?” He nodded again. 

“Hell.” George said, dropping his head against the counter top. 

“Okay, at the next meeting we will find a way to get Snape alone and talk to him. Hopefully he will have an idea on where to start--” He was cut off by the door opening. 

They all looked to see a frazzled looking Barty. 

“Damn kitty, do you know what Luc would have done if I lost you?” The man asked moving towards him, only to stop when the twins moved to stand in his way. 

_ Shit, _ Harry thought, he needed to stop this before it started. 

He whined until Fred turned to look at him. Harry had carefully placed his paw on the word  **friend.** Fred raised an eyebrow before nodding in understanding. 

“Is this little guy yours?” He asked, getting a weird look from his brother. 

“A friend’s.” Barty said, looking the twins over. It seemed he finally realized whose shop he has walked into and now looked like he was trying to think of a way out before they realized he was a Death Eater. 

“What’s his name?” George asked grinning, turning to pick up Harry, knocking the parchments off onto the floor behind the counter as he did. 

“Ummm…” Barty stopped and his cheeks reddened. Harry huffed a laugh which was covered by both twins snickering. 

“We think Mischief, don't we Gred?” Fred asked his brother who grinned and nodded his head happily. “It fits him well, it does Forge” 

Harry had to turn and bury his head in George’s chest to keep from making un cat-like noises. 

Barty laughed, “Yeah it does, cat’s a little trouble maker,” again the twins laughed. 

“Well I should be getting home.” Barty said and Harry looked up as the man took an unsure step towards them. Harry felt George’s arm tense like he didn’t want to give him up but then the twin carefully handed Harry over. Harry heard and  _ felt _ the relieved breath Barty let out once he was cuddled against his chest. 

“Thanks.” Barty said, turning to walk away. 

“Wait!” One of the twins shouted. 

Barty stopped and him and Harry both looked at the twins. 

“We aren’t open yet--” Fred said, rushing over to a shelf.

“However--” George added, moving to a different shelf.

“We have some--”

“Magnificent animal friendly products--”

“We’d love to have tried out.”

Harry and Barty watched as the two Weasley’s ran around the story shoving things into red and gold bags before they came to a stop in front of Barty, bags out towards him. 

“You have to let us know if the little guy likes them.” Fred said, winking at Harry. 

“There is a card inside you can fill out and send it back.” George said. 

Both twins were grinning widely and Harry got the impression he and the Death Eaters he was living with were about to be pranked... hard. 

Barty looked a little bewildered as he took the bags and thanked them. 


	6. Chapter 6

**_Harry_ **

Somehow the next day Harry found himself curled up on Bastan’s lap as the younger Lestrange whispered to his brother. They were waiting for Voldemort, Lucius, and Snape to enter before the meeting got started. Harry was a little weirded out by the thought that  _ he _ , Harry James Potter, was about to attend a Death Eater meeting. On the other hand he was excited to hear what they were up too. 

There was a sudden creak as the large wooden doors blew open and Voldemort walked in. Snape and Malfoy behind him. Every Death Eater stood and bowed down to their leader, which meant that Harry yelped at the sudden movement. Voldemort gave a questioning look to Bastan and Snape glared at Harry. 

Harry felt the death eater holding him shrug, “want me to put him in the hall?”

“No, Bastan, the cat can stay.” Voldemort said, earning Harry an impressive glare from Snape. When he was sure no one was paying him any attention he stuck his tongue out at the man. 

Voldemort moved to his seat, which sat at the end of the gathering of chairs. Lucius at his right and Snape at his left. Surprisingly Barty sat next to Lucius while a man named Theodore Nott sat next to Snape. Harry recognized the man as the father of Theo Nott, a friend of Draco Malfoy. The Lestrange brothers sat one after another next to Barty. Next to Nott was Bellatrix Lestrange who of all the people in the room including the Dark Lord scared Harry the most. Harry was a little surprised that Narcissa Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren’t there. 

“Have any of you been able to find anything on Potter?” Voldemort asked, pulling Harry’s attention away from the other occupants in the room. 

“No Sir.” they all mumbled together. 

The Dark Lord growled but didn’t destroy anything, which Harry felt was an improvement.

“What of the Order members?” The Dark Lord looked at Snape, “How are they reacting to the news? Do they believe Potter is dead?” 

Harry saw Snape’s eyes shoot to him before returning to Voldemort.

“Black is a mess, hasn’t left his room in days. The wolf Lupin has been staying at his side, however he has pulled me aside twice now to ask if I believe the headmaster or if I think the man is lying. Moody, Fletcher, Dodge, and Tonks believe him wholeheartedly and are currently trying to make different plans to defeat you. The Weasleys seem split, Molly will always believe Albus. Arthur seems saddened and unsure what to believe, but I believe at the moment his focus is on his children. Making sure they are dealing and grieving. William has only been around once, and he asked about a body and a funeral.” 

Snape snorted, “he is the only one that has asked about a body. And when the headmaster said there wasn’t one, Bill asked how he was sure Harry was dead. The old man lied through his teeth. I don’t believe Bill or his younger brother Charlie believed it.” The potions master sat back, “The only other member is Shacklebolt. I don’t know where he stands.” 

“What about the twins?” Barty asked suddenly. Harry hissed at the man. Which thankfully was missed by Snape making a choked sound. 

“The Weasley twins?” Snape asked his eyes going from Harry to Barty. Nervously Harry scooted back against Bastan, who just patted his head. 

“Yeah, they have a shop in Diagon Alley, now. I saw them the other day when I was shopping. I was just curious where they fell amongst the Order and their reactions.” Harry dropped his head when Snape’s eyes narrowed at him. 

“I haven’t gotten a chance to speak with them. But they are rebellious and seem intelligent enough to think on their own unlike their younger siblings. Did you speak to them?” 

"Only about Mischief here." Bart said point at Harry. 

"Mischief?" Several voices asked at once. Harry debated jumping off the warm lap he was on and getting the hell out of the room before Snape strangled him. 

"Kitty here wandered into the Weasleys' shop. I found them playing with him and when they asked his name, I didn't have one." Barty shrugged, "so they gave him one." 

Harry winced from the dark glare the potion master sent his way. 

"Barty,” Voldemort's voice was calm and even, "I know you found them amusing while teaching them last year but remember who their parents are and where their loyalties lie." Harry watched as Barry's grin fell and the man ducked his head. 

"Yes, My Lord." The man mumbled looking at the floor. 

There was a sigh for the Dark Lord, that had Harry looking up at him. The man didn't look annoyed or angry about Barty's actions, in fact he was looking at the younger death eater with worry in his eyes. Harry wondered what that was about, as he'd never gotten the impression Voldemort cared about anyone other than himself or perhaps his snake. 

A throat cleared, causing everyone to look at Nott, "We have another problem. The Ministry is trying to push through the Dark Creature Registration Act, again." There was a snarl for the Dark Lord. Harry confused looked at Snape hoping the man would clue him in. 

Snape noticed it and exhaled slowly before speaking, "If they pass it. There will be an uprising. Vampires, werewolves, Fae, even the Veela would resist. A law forcing them to reveal their names, families, location, and species would never be accepted." The man’'s eyes never left Harry’s as he spoke and Harry wanted to shiver as the words sunk in. 

The Ministry wanted Remus to register who and what he was. People already looked down on him. What would happen if the dangerous one, the ones that thought all werewolves should be collared or killed, could just look up his address and find him? He whimpered. Remus could be killed. 

"Will Albus stop it?" Bastan asked. His finger rubbing soothing circles along the back of Harry's neck. 

Harry heard Bellatrix snort but it was her husband that spoke, "He'll make a show of it. Defending the  _ poor _ creatures. But the vote will pass and the esteemed Headmaster will speak out against it. Pleading for the people to not accept the law and the horrible treatments that are sure to follow. All while he holds a majority of seats in the wizengamot " 

_ Wait, _ Harry's brain raced,  _ the Wizengamot _ ? Harry shivered remembering his trial over the summer. He remembered Hermione talking about it endlessly before his hearing. 

It was the High Court of the wizarding world. Everything from laws and regulations to trials were handled by it. 

The number of active seats varied over the years depending on how many Lords or Ladys took up their families' seats. From what Harry remembered there were originally three sections: Light, Neutral, and Dark, each with an even number of seats and votes. But over the many years and two wars the number of active members dropped exceptionally and now Light held the majority of seats. 

A majority that it seemed Albus Dumbledore controlled.  _ How had he missed that in Hermione’s speech?  _ She had bragged about Dumbledore being Chief Warlock, but Harry had thought it was just a title, especially after the Headmaster had shown up and argued his case. Never once joining the seated people surrounding him. But it seemed Harry was wrong that the man could have easily stopped Harry’s hearing, but he hadn’t. 

And it wasn’t just Harry that the man could have helped but didn’t. 

_ Sirius.  _

Dumbledore could have helped him. He could have demanded Sirius get an actual trial not only 14 years ago when Harry’s parents and all those Muggles had first died, but also during his third year, when Harry, Remus, Ron, and Hermione all saw and talked to Peter! Instead the manipulative old man had sent them back in time to free Sirius. Sirius could have been free, Harry could have lived with someone who cared about him, someone who wanted him. 

Suddenly he couldn’t breath. 

_ Dumbledore was the reason Sirius spent 12 years in Azkaban _ . 

His heart raced. 

_ Dumbledore was the reason he had to go back to the Dursley's every summer.  _

His ears started ringing. 

_ Dumbledore hadn’t just betrayed him, the bastard had orchestrated everything.  _

He barely registered being picked up. It wasn’t until the world went black around him that he realized he was moving. His already panicked brain thought something was wrong with his sight but the flickering of faded blocked light told him he was more than likely covered. Probably by a dark blue or black robe. 

While he couldn’t see anything he could hear feet pounding on the stone floors of the manor. It did nothing to stop the blinding fear and anger that now raged inside him. __

_ How could the Headmaster done all of this? And why?  _

The darkness fell away but before Harry could take in anything his head was forced back and his mouth pried open. Afraid and confused Harry whined and struggled, trying to free himself. But whoever held him kept him still and his head tilted back. When the liquid reached the back of his throat, he had no choice but to swallow or choke. 

The claiming effect of the potion was instantaneous and Harry found his thoughts clearing as he looked up at panicked expressions on Barty and Snape's faces. He cringed and lowered himself to the ground-- well Snape's bed, giving both men a sad look. 

"He okay?" Barty asked, looking at the Potions Master. 

The other man nodded, "Probably just fell asleep and had a nightmare. Not uncommon in neglected or abused animals." 

The blond Death Eater let out a relieved breath, "I'll let Luc know." 

Harry watched as the man left, not sure he wanted to look at the professor, who he was sure was glaring at him. 

"Potter," the man said softly. Harry dropped his head into the bed and closed his eyes. He heard the older man sigh. When the bed dipped he jumped, not expecting the fingers that started running through his fur, comforting and soothing him. 

"Are you worried about Lupin?" 

He meowed and tried to nod his head. Not an easy task with him laying flat on the bed. 

"I'm not sure if you will find this comforting or not. But the Dark Lord will not let this pass. His relations with Fenrir's pack and the local vampire coven are too important to him." Harry growled at the name Fenrir, the man was the one who bit and turned Remus. But the rest of the statement comforted him. It shouldn't have, because it meant that he was grateful for something Voldemort was doing. But if it saved Remus and the others like him, he'd be able to live with it.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Harry_ **

Waking up in Snape's bed was strange. Stranger still was how his head was resting on the man's chest comfortably. He yawned and lifted himself off the professor before jumping off the bed as quietly as he could. Harry wasn't sure when he had drifted off but he was sure Snape had still been awake. He figured if he was careful, he could get out of the room without waking him. 

He let out a relieved breath when he exited the room and hadn't heard the man stir. 

With no real plans for his morning, Harry started toward the kitchen hoping someone would be up and willing to feed him. 

He had second thoughts when he entered the kitchen and the only person there was Voldemort. The man was sitting at the kitchen table, a group of large leather books scattered before him. The Dark Lord held one in his right hand that he peeked over the top of when Harry walked in. 

The man tilted his head to the side, before lowering the book and placing the book on the table. "I suppose you're hungry?" 

Harry didn’t react, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Voldemort pushed his chair away from the table and Harry thought about backing out of the room. He wasn’t really  _ that _ hungry anyways. But he hesitated too long, and the Dark Lord started opening cabinets. Unlike when Barty took forever trying to feed him, Voldemort quickly found something and pulled it out. The man quickly opened a package that Harry could smell from across the room, and dumped the contents onto a plate. Harry’s stomach grumbled as the man walked across the room and sat back down. 

"Mischief, come." Harry couldn't help the snicker like noise he made at the man using the name the twins gave him. Voldemort didn't seem to notice as he had already picked up his book and started reading again. 

Harry walked over to the man’s legs and meowed. He was not happy when instead of placing the plate on the floor Voldemort held down a piece of meat for Harry to eat. He frowned at the man before sniffing the fish, at least that’s what his nose told him the meat was. Then gently as to not touch the man's fingers, he pulled the meat away and ate it. 

The fish was pretty good and Harry found himself eating piece after piece from the dark wizard’s hand. 

A few minutes later Snape walked in. 

Harry choked on the piece of fish he was currently eating at the man's shocked expression. A couple coughs and a soft pat from Voldemort's hand had him swallowing the stuck piece. Which gave Snape time to conceal his surprised expression behind a more neutral scowl and sit down at the table. 

Embarrassed, Harry hesitated to take the next offered piece of fish, but a slight nudge to his side from the Potion Master’s foot had him eating again. 

"Albus has called another meeting," Snape said a few seconds later. 

"Do you know what it will be about?" Voldemort asked, handing Harry another piece. Harry nudged it and let it hit the floor, the mention of the Headmaster had killed his appetite. Before either man could try and encourage him to eat more Harry rushed over and meowed at Snape's feet. 

"I do not. Possibly his plans now that Potter's missing," the man said as he reached down and pulled Harry onto his lap. 

"You seem sure Potter is  _ just  _ missing." The Dark Lord commented and even Harry heard the suspicious tone. 

Snape let out a slow breath, "He is too prepared. Too calm. The Headmaster is up to something and if Potter had really died, there would be proof. Whether it was signs of a fight or a body. There would be some kind of evidence of what happened." Harry almost jumped when Snape's fingers started petting and scratching behind his ears. The touch calmed him enough to realise he'd been growling. 

"Severus," the tone chilled Harry and he felt himself press against the professor, "do you believe Albus is behind Potter’s disappearance?"

"I do." The man said and Harry looked up to see the men staring at each other, studying each other. 

A second later Voldemort nodded his head, pushed away from the table and stood up. A flick of his wand had the books on the table slaming themselves closed and disappearing. Then he looked at Snape, “then we need to find him.” Harry watched a little unnerved as the man walked toward the entrance. 

"My Lord." Snape called out, surprising both Harry and Voldemort, who stopped and looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised. 

“Do you still wish him dead?” Snape’s voice didn’t weaver but the hands that held Harry did. Harry stopped breathing as he watched the two men look at each other. The Dark Lord’s eyes briefly flashing red, before fading back into their natural blue. Even still it was off putting when he tilted his head to the side and asked in a low voice, "If I didn't?" 

He heard Snape’s nervous swallow, then the man spoke, "If Dumbledore has turned away from him. Perhaps even done something to Harry. Your wish to no longer kill him may draw Potter to you." Harry dug his claws into Snape’s hands, he may not be on Dumbledore's side anymore but that didn't mean he was on the Dark Lord's. 

"He would never believe me,” the man muttered. Shocked at the tone Harry looked at Voldemort. The man sounded sure and while Harry didn't disagree there was something else that confused him, the Dark Lord sounded  _ bothered _ about it. 

"My Lord?" From Snape’s tone the potion maker hadn’t missed the tone and was just as confused by it as Harry. 

"Leave it." The order was cold and there was a wave of power that accompanied it. It caused Harry to shiver. 

"I apologize." Snape muttered, bowing his head. The Dark Lord made no comment as he turned and walked out of the room. 

_ The hell?  _ Harry thought. 

"Potter," the man whispered, "I don't know what either of them have planned anymore. I do not know if I have lost their trust or if they are both just keeping things close to the chest. Be careful." Harry meowed, letting the man know he understood and would do his best. 

"Head to Lucius's or Barty's room. I'll find you when I get back.” Snape muttered as he placed Harry onto the floor. 

**_Severus_ **

Severus watched as the kitten that was Lily's son darted off. He shook his head, how the boy was coping he had no idea. So far the young man had surprised him, no acting out, no violence, nothing that drew any attention to himself. The young man gave the impression of frustrated acceptance. 

An acceptance Severus was sure would end soon. Harry had to be close to hitting his limit. Not being able to talk, feed himself, or fly, it had to be driving the young Gryffindor Seeker mad. Severus just hoped he found a way to help the teen before then.

He sighed and started walking to his room. He needed to gather his coat before heading to the Order meeting. It was set to start in about an hour, but he wanted to get there a little early and check on Black and Lupin. 

What he should have expected was the sudden appearance of hands on his arms, the second he walked into the cursed house. The Weasley twins were silent as they dragged him up the stairs and into a bedroom. 

He glared as both Weasleys pulled out their wands and cast an impressive number of privacy spells before they looked at him with matching grins. 

"How's Mischief?" they asked together and he had to close his eyes to keep from muttering a snide comment about the name. 

"The brat is fine,” he replied, opening his eyes. Neither twin stopped grinning, but they did move farther into the room so they could sit on the end of what he assumed was the bed they were using while staying at the Order’s headquarters. 

“Any luck finding what the headmaster used?” The one on the right asked. 

“No.” He sighed, “I have no information on the potion he used, nor do I know if there was any other magi--”

“A spell.” The one on the left cut him off. 

Instead of snapping at being interrupted he raised an eyebrow. _ How did they know that? _

The one on the right summoned a couple pieces of parchment and handed it to him. For a second he was confused but then the implication of the random words hit him and he had to give the troublemakers a small smile. The second piece made him frown, it was scribbled words about Dumbledore and where Harry had ended up. The words,  _ Snape and my mum were friends,  _ sticking out. 

“What did Potter tell you?” he asked, looking away from the parchments and at the twins. 

“He pointed out that it was both a potion and a spell. He isn’t sure if he can remember the spell and whatever it was, hurt,” one growled out..

“He also said you were working on it and that we should see if we can help,” his brother added. 

Severus thought about the twins, the two were troublemakers, pranksters sure, but not bullies. They also were brilliant. He had seen first hand some of the concoctions they had come up with over the years. 

He also had to kick them out of a number of empty classrooms where they had been experimenting on themselves. He knew for a fact they never ended up in the medical wing despite what they did to themselves, which meant they knew enough about their potions or healing to not kill each other. He had once debated taking them on as apprentices or assistants. It was only their lack of focus and inability to sit still that had stopped him. 

Maybe it was time to rethink that decision. 

“Do you have any ideas?” He asked them, summoning a chair to sit across from the bed. He tried not to smirk when he saw the surprised look that crossed both of their faces. It was gone in a flash but still he had seen it. 

It seemed the two hadn’t expected him to take them seriously. An issue he was sure happened often to them. Severus got the impression that not many people took these two serious— the other students at Hogwarts, even Molly brushed aside the pranks as childish. Others clearly missed the intelligence it took to pull off said pranks. 

However Severus hadn’t missed that, and clearly Harry hadn’t either or he wouldn’t have sought the two out for help. 

“To cure him, no.” One of them said with a frown pulling him back to the conversation. 

“However,” his brother picked up, “we might have an idea to temporarily make him human again.” He raised his eyebrows, surprised. He had had a similar idea, even tried a few potions in Harry’s food over the last week. Nothing worked. Whatever the headmaster had done countered everything he tried. 

“Explain.” He said leaning back in his chair, genuinely curious about what they had planned. 

The twins smiled, “You’ve seen our Canary Creams?” the one on the left asked. 

_ He really needed to find a way to tell them apart. _

He nodded. A brilliant bit of potions and transfiguration that caused an annoying bit of chaos every time students  _ accidentally _ ate them. 

“Well we have tweaked it,” the other twin said, “we think that it should counter the Headmasters potion, but only briefly and--

“We think it might be painful,” they finished together,frowning. 

_ It might work, _ Severus thought. The Canary Creams as the twins called them, weren’t a standard potion nor were they technically a transfiguration spell. Truth was he wasn’t sure what was all involved in the potion the twins used to create them. The candies were just far enough outside the normal, acceptable, predictable means of magic that it might work. After all he hadn’t considered anything like it for Harry, so it was doubtful the headmaster would have.

“You have it ready?” he asked and both young men nodded. “I will warn him before offering it to him.” 

After the two Weasley’s handed him a small bag with a handful of their altered candies, he left to try to find Black and Lupin. 

As he approached the stairs he could hear other Order members arriving and cursed silently he might not be able to talk to them today. He entered the kitchen and noticed the two men he had wanted to speak to already seated, Tonks and Molly already talking to them. 

He let out a partially relieved breath, which left him feeling a little guilty. 

He knew the two men were important to Harry and that he had promised to try and find a way to tell them what was going on, he just didn’t know how to. He wasn’t sure what he would say to convince the two men that Harry was alive but suffering under a potion their  _ leader  _ had forced on him. 

While Lupin might be intelligent and patient enough to hear him out, Black wasn’t. 

As he took up his normal spot, lurking in the back, he felt one of the twins pat him on the shoulder before going to pass by him. The idea hit him out of nowhere. He felt a little sorry about passing on the burden but he snatched the young man’s arm and pulled him close, whispering his request into the young man’s ear. Thankfully the redhead agreed, then walked away. 

By the time the Order’s meeting was over, he had a headache and was frustrated that he had no pain reliever potions. 

He apparated outside of Malfoy Manor and swayed as the movement made the pounding in his head worse. 

He was grateful as he made his way inside and no one was around. He planned on taking something for his head and then finding Harry and testing out the Weasley’s potion. However Barty found him before he made it to his room. 

“Our Lord wants to speak to you,” the younger man said. 

Severus studied him, trying to find any sign about what their Lord wanted. At least a hint of if he should be worried or not. But Barty just smiled and led him back towards the Lord’s favorite library. Severus checked his mental barriers, just in case. 

He almost tripped over his own feet when he entered and noticed his Lord and Lucius sitting on a large couch, Harry sound asleep on the Dark Lord’s lap.  _ The bart was going to give him a heart attack one of these days.  _

“My Lord,” he said bowing his head. 

“I was thinking, Severus, you have been spending a large amount of time here. Most of your nights, at least. Something very unlike you. What of your students? Albus? Isn’t he wondering what you are up to?” his stomach dropped. He had been hoping that his Lord was too busy to notice how much time he was spending here, when not called or summoned. 

“My students are fine, My Lord. I spend most of my day time at the school, and Filius has been handling any detentions the Slytherins get or I pass out.” He took a breath, “as for the Headmaster, I told him you had me and the others looking for Potter.” His Lord’s eyes searched his and he felt a slight pressure against his mind, when the man tried to read his thoughts. 

“You are up to something.” his Lord said, “Should I be worried Severus?” 

He shook his head. “No, My Lord,” he added for good measure. He didn’t like the suspicious look in the other man’s eyes. But since there was no flash of red he felt safe in his assumption that his Lord wasn’t as angry as he could have been. 

“You may go.” 

Normally with a dismissal like that he would have walked out of the room as fast as he could. However he needed Harry, which meant he had to approach his Lord carefully. 

“May I take him?” he asked, “he hasn’t had his potions today and I have prepared a new one I wish to try.” The Dark Lord gestured with his hand for him to go ahead. 


	8. Chapter 8

**_Harry_ **

Harry snapped at the finger that poked him in the ribs. Annoyed at the rude wake up call, he hissed, without opening his eyes,hoping to be left alone so he could fall back asleep. 

The finger returned, poking him harder than before. He hissed again, this time opening his eyes and hoping the glare he planned to give would scare off whoever was bothering him. 

However the unimpressed look Snape gave him ruined his plans. Harry sighed and tried to stand up. His legs were numb from the way he had been laying and the second he stood up pins and needles shot through his limbs. He let out an unhappy whine and then almost fell off the lap he was on when he heard Voldemort chuckle. 

Having no idea how he ended up sleeping on the Dark Lord’s lap, Harry backed away. Thankfully Snape must have predicted the movement because before Harry could fall off the lap and onto the floor, he was caught. From the chuckles and laughs he heard around him, the Dark Lord and his followers were amused. 

Harry growled at them, which turned into a yelp-like noise when Snape pulled him close and started for the door. Ignoring the laughter from behind them, Harry headbutted the man in the chest once before relaxing. The only reaction he got out of the professor was a snort. 

“I have something for you to try,” the man said as they entered his room. Harry was placed on the bed, where he could see Snape pull a small bag out of his pocket. “Your twins think this  _ might temporarily _ give you back your body.” Harry darted for the end of the bed, excited to finally be a person again. 

“However,” Snape said moving the bag up and away, “they believe it will be painful.” Harry looked at the man to see worry etched onto his face. 

Harry wanted to snap at the man, he could handle pain. He just wanted to be human again. He wanted to walk on two legs, talk, take a  _ bloody _ shower. He licked his lips and opened his mouth. He heard the professor exhale before something soft and gummy like was pressed against his tongue. 

Harry bit into hit and howled as lightning raced through him, before everything went spotty and he collapsed onto the bed beneath him. 

“Fuck.” he cursed as he started to wake up and it felt like he had fallen off his broom again. 

“Well it seems to have worked.” He heard Snape mutter from somewhere close by. In an instant Harry realized he had cursed out loud. He opened his eyes and rushed to sit up, the room spun a little but he didn’t care. He held out his hands and grinned at seeing them. 

“As much as I would like to let you enjoy the moment, Harry, I fear we don’t have the time.” Snape said, “what do you remember?” Harry sighed and lowered his hands. Looking toward the end of the bed, where the Professor was standing, arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. 

“He called me into his office, I think he wanted to talk about Voldemort.” He ignored Snape’s flinch of the name, “But someone fire called him and he had to leave the room. The cabinet was open. I didn’t mean to look but I felt pulled. Inside the pensieve had the memory I told you about.” He swallowed his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. “I pulled out of it as fast as I could, but I didn’t have time to close the door.” He dropped his head, “He knew the second he saw my face.” 

“Was that when he changed you?” Snape asked in a low careful voice. 

Harry shook his head and looked up at the man, “no he tried to wipe my memories.” Snape’s head tilted to the side, “it worked, for a couple minutes. But it hurt and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Then they came back. The headmaster muttered something about Tom before he tied me up.” 

“Tom?” Snape asked moving closer to take Harry’s chin. “As in the Dark Lord?” Harry nodded. He tried not to flinch when he felt the man’s fingers tightened.

“I’m going to try something,” the potions master said, “it will be uncomfortable but if you don’t resist it won't hurt.” Harry swallowed and did his best to relax. 

He felt this push in his head. It felt intrusive and  _ wrong _ and everything in him told him to stop it. When he tried, he heard Snape hiss and the fingers tightened on his chin. It took a lot of his will power to stop resisting whatever it was the other man was doing. 

But after a couple seconds the professor’s fingers loosened, “think about what happened,” Snape whispered, and Harry couldn’t not think about it. It felt like he had to obey and suddenly images and flashes of what happened in the Headmaster’s office zoomed through his mind. He wanted to pull away, make it stop, he didn't want to go through it again. But he didn't, instead he stared into Snape’s black eyes. 

When it was over the words,  _ Mutatio Interiorem Bestia _ rang in his ears. 

“What does it mean?” He asked after he felt the Professor had left his mind. 

“It’s an old incantation. It was once meant to help young witches and wizards find their animagus forms. If they had one. But it was cruel and painful. It was outlawed when easier gentle means were found.” 

“So this cat, it’s my animagus form like Padfoot’s dog?” He asked, not sure how he felt about that. He wanted to be an animagus but after being stuck as this cat against his will, he wasn’t sure he would want to change into it willingly. 

Snape shook his head, “Not exactly. It could be. But researchers found that the incantation forced the young wizards into a  _ potential  _ form. One that at that moment would keep them the safest. It was often something small and fast, giving them a chance to run or hide. It was one of the reasons it was so controversial. In many cases when the young witches or wizards finally achieved their true form it was not what had been forced upon them with the spell.” 

A little relieved Harry fell back on the bed. “The potion, it’s what made it so I was stuck?” He asked, looking up at the ceiling. 

“That would be my assumption.” Snape said. “Now that I know the spell, it should be easier for me to find a counter for the potion.” He knew the older man was trying to reassure him. But he also could feel this slight tingly starting in his fingers. 

“I want to shower.” He shouted suddenly jumping off the bed. He needed to do something to feel normal, before the spell wore off and he was stuck relying on others again.

Snape raised an eyebrow like he wanted to question the sudden outburst but then he smirked and pointed to the bathroom, “towels are in there.” 

Harry rushed into the bathroom, feeling a little unsteady on two feet. He turned the shower on, which was a stone shower with a tinted glass door, before he stirped out of his clothes. The clothes themselves smelled off. He almost let his mind wander down the path of how the hell that worked, before he shrugged and threw them on the floor. 

The shower felt amazing. The hot water chased away some of the soreness in his muscles, and he felt more relaxed than he had in weeks. He didn’t even care that he was using Snape’s shampoo and soap as he washed off. He wanted to stay there forever, but that tingling sensation had spread into his arms and feet. He got the impression he wasn’t going to be human much longer. 

Mad, he turned off the water and exited the shower. On the counter was a pile of clothes that Harry knew belonged to the Professor. He felt grateful to the man as he dried off and changed into them. 

Once dressed he walked into Snape’s room. The man sat at his desk, a stack of books and parchment before him. He was scribbling something down and Harry watched a little amused as the man muttered to himself as he made his notes. 

“Thank you.” He said suddenly, causing the older man’s head to snap up toward him. The man opened his mouth but Harry held up his hand, quieting him. 

“Not just for this.” He said, “but for all the times you saved my life. For trusting the twins. For--” He stopped, not sure about how to express this next part. “For my mum.” Snape’s eyes widened. “Sirius and Remus, they loved my parents but it was my dad they were close to. He was their best friend. They didn’t miss her like they missed him.” He swallowed around the lump in his throat, “I felt like I was the only one who grieved her.” He gave the man a sad smile, “but you did. And maybe when this is over you can tell me about her?” He asked the last bit before he could talk himself out of it. 

“Harry,” Snape started to stand, but two things happened simultaneously that stopped him. First was Harry crying out in pain as the twins’ potion started to wear off and Snape’s bedroom door slammed open. 

Harry bit his lip, fighting back a scream as the pain flooded inside him. He was trying to figure out if he would be human long enough to stop Barty from hurting Snape or running off to his Lord. 

The blond Death Eater stood in the doorway looking completely shocked. He kept looking from Harry to Snape like he was trying to understand what was going on. 

Something inside Harry cracked and he couldn’t hold back the whine that left his lips as his body once again shifted into a small black kitten. 

“The hell?” He heard Barty whisper from closer than the man had been before. Harry looked up, his vision blurry as the man approached him. The Death Eater bent down and reached out for him but stopped when Snape called his name. 

“Bartemius.” The tone was cold and dangerous, Harry shivered. 

Barty however looked unimpressed as he continued looking at Harry. “This solves a few riddles.” The man muttered before his hand came close, but it never made contact as a shield formed between them.

“Severus.” The blond said, turning to look at the Potion Master. “You know our Lord’s been worried about you. He thought with Potter’s disappearance and possible death, your faith in him was weavering.” Harry whined worried about Snape. 

“But that’s not it, is it?” Barty said in a cheerful tone, “you knew where Potter was and were trying to what… help him?” the Death Eater looked back over his shoulder at Harry. 

“He is trapped, correct?”

Harry tried to stand but his body still ached and he ended up falling on the floor again. Barty gave him a sad look. 

“Correct.” Snape answered slowly from behind them. 

Harry wondered what the other man was thinking. He hoped he was trying to think of a way to talk himself out of this and not planning on killing Barty. Despite everything Harry liked the dirty blonde and didn’t want to be the reason he died. 

“Was it Dumbledore?” Barty asked, looking back toward Snape. 

“Yes.” 

Barty hummed. “And the reason you haven’t told our Lord?” Barty’s tone lost the cheerfulness it had before as it turned cold and suspicious. 

“I told our Lord that with the Headmaster's betrayal he had a chance to gain Potter’s trust. Despite the unusual circumstances, Potter being stuck as a feline has given him a chance to walk amongst us  _ freely _ . No one attacking him or trying to persuade him. He has been living here for weeks now, seeing that we aren’t what he has been told. If I had told our Lord that would have changed.” Harry was impressed by the story, and wondered if any of it was true. 

Harry held his breath as Barty turned and looked at him again. The man studied him, before reaching down again, this time Snape didn’t summon a shield and Harry whimpered as he was picked up. 

“You wish for me to keep this a secret as well?” The blond asked, and even though he was still looking at Harry the question was aimed at Snape. 

“For now.” The man said, moving to stand next to Barty. Harry could see how unsure the Potion maker was. But when Barty turned to look at him it fell away. 

“He’s in pain.” Barty said, glaring at Snape. 

The change in topic was so sudden that Snape’s eyes narrowed, “I’m aware.” 

He reached out for Harry. But it seemed Barty wasn’t going to give him up. The man’s hands tightened until Harry whimpered. Causing both men to look at him. Barty winced and relaxed his hold. Still he didn’t give Harry back to Snape just moved to sit on the end of the other man’s bed, Harry in his lap. 

Harry could see how frustrated Snape was as the man walked across his room and grabbed a potion. Then he walked over with a small spoonful for Harry. 

Not thrilled about the taste, Harry drank it as quickly as possible. When he started to feel better, he debated hoping off Barty’s lap, but then the man started petting him and it felt nice enough that he laid down and drifted off to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 1-9 posted in one day haha. There is more to come but for now I really hope you guys like this. Please leave comments and let me know.

**_Lucius_ **

An argument with Tom always left him feeling miserable. It was different than when he argued with his Lord, not that he did that often. Lucius knew the line. He knew when he was allowed to question and bicker, and he knew when to bow his head and follow orders. They had been in bed this morning and he made the mistake of bringing up Potter. 

Tom had growled before rolling on top of him, eyes red and power rolling off him. He knew it was stupid, he knew what to boy meant to Tom. But he was starting to have doubts that the young man was still alive. He had been trying to prepare his lover for that. Tom hadn’t seen it that way. He had told Lucius that he would know if Potter was dead and not to bring it up again unless he had proof one way or another. Then he stormed off. 

Now Lucius was wandering the house, trying to think of a way to apologize. Frustrated, he swept his cane wider than necessary and with a thud it hit one of the bookshelves in the room. The soft clink that followed had him stopping and looking back at the shelf. Nothing on the shelves looked out of place. 

Looking at the floor he saw nothing. He was about to shrug it off when a flicker of light caught his eye. He bent down and picked up a leather strap. Or what he thought was a leather strap. 

It was in fact a collar, a green tag hanging off it. His breath caught when he saw the name etched into the metal of the tag.  **_Harry James Potter._ **

“Impossi--” the words stopped as he thought back to the cat he found in this very room a couple weeks back. The thing had been thin, ribs sticking out of his sides, labored breathing and whimpering in pain. A forced transformation could do that. But why? Why would the young man stick around? Why not run as soon as he was healthy enough? 

Lucius started for Tom’s study, he needed to tell him.  _ Now.  _

Only when he rushed past the kitchen, he heard something that had him freezing in place.    
  


**_Harry_ **

He woke up to the sun shining and his stomach growling. He was alone in Snape’s bed. Which told him a couple things, that the man was probably back at Hogwarts and that Barty hadn’t told Voldemort. 

Hungry, he jumped off the bed and made his way out of the room and towards the kitchen. He half expected Voldemort to be there again, but when he entered the room was empty and Harry found himself frustrated that he couldn’t just feed himself. 

“Glaring at the cabinets won’t work,” Barty teased behind him. 

Harry jumped, then he turned and glared at the man. 

Who grinned, “You know that should have been the first clue, your glare. It’s not very cat-like.” Harry rolled his eyes and meowed at the man. 

“Want fish?” 

Harry hissed, not in the mood for fish again.

“Chicken?” He shook his head. 

“What about those meat stick things?” Barty asked, pulling open one of the doors and holding out said sticks. Harry thought about it. He hadn’t had any since the first week he was here and they had been pretty good. But truthfully he was craving fruit. No one had thought about feeding him any since he got here, probably because it wasn’t something one feeds a cat. 

He shook his head no. Barty shrugged before putting them back. 

“Eggs?” The man asked. Harry sighed. 

For some reason Barty laughed, “I didn’t realize how frustrating this must be for you,” the man muttered, before he reached down and picked Harry up, placing him on the counter. 

“Okay, so no meat?” The man said leaning down in front of him, staring him in the eyes. Harry almost snorted, but instead he just nodded his head. 

“Bread?” Barty was grinning and Harry realized the man found this amusing. 

He shook his head no. 

“Leftover Piz--”

“What are you doing?” Both Harry and Barty’s heads snapped towards the entrance where Lucius leaned against the doorway watching them. 

“Luc, how long have you been hanging about?” Barty asked nervously. 

“Long enough to wonder how the cat seems to know what you are asking it?” 

Harry’s blood ran cold, as the platinum blond death eater eyed him. 

“Don’t be ridicul--” Lucius shot Barty a glare that had the man snapping his mouth closed. 

“Bartemius.” The man drew out the other’s name and Harry was hit with a sudden need to giggle. Lucius sounded just like Snape had yesterday, and for some reason Harry found that funny. Or it could just be his nerves.  _ Yeah probably his nerves. _ Malfoy looked pissed.

“I taught him,” Barty said lamely, and Harry lowered his head because that was a lie he would have tried.

“Bullshit.” Lucius snapped.

Harry raised his head when he heard footsteps coming his way, he couldn’t stop himself from stepping back as the man approached. 

“Luc,” Barty sounded like he was pleading as he moved into the man’s way, “please just let this go.” The two Death Eaters stood there staring at each other, and Harry could feel the magic in the room building. 

“Bartemius, tell me what is going on or I will call for our Lord.” 

_ Fuck,  _ Harry thought. _ So much for Voldemort not finding out about him. _ How could his luck be this bad? 

“Luc, don’t please.” Barty asked, “You know I would never do anything that would be bad for our Lord.” 

“Then tell me,” the blond man replied. 

“I can’t.” Barty said. 

The sad look on Barty’s face made Harry squirm. This man was supposed to be a Death Eater, a murderer,  _ a bad guy _ and here he was standing in front of one of his friends trying to protect Harry. He knew it was because the man thought he was going to join the  _ dark  _ side but still Barty could have just as easily handed him over. 

“Then I shall be going.” Malfoy said, As he turned for the door, Harry meowed, loudly. Malfoy stopped and looked at him, an eyebrow raised in question. Harry dropped his head. He hadn’t meant to do that. He just wanted the man to stop, he didn’t want Voldemort to know about him. 

“Barty, explain now!” The command was cold and Harry swore there was power to it, not unlike the man’s Lord and lover. 

“Potter.” Barty said, looking at his fellow death eater. Malfoy’s eyes widened and he walked around Barty to pick up Harry. Harry growled at the man, but Malfoy ignored him. 

“How?” the man asked, looking Harry in the eye. 

“Dumbledore,” Barty answered, “some kind of spell and potion. Severus is trying to fix it.” 

The room fell silent for a minute as Malfoy poked and prodded Harry.The man even pulled out his wand and tried a handful of spells before he turned and handed Harry back to Barty. 

“You and Severus walk on dangerous ground. If our Lord finds out you are hiding this from him he will not be pleased,” the man took a breath. “You have till the end of the month. If you can’t fix Potter by then, I will inform our Lord.” 

“Thank you.” Barty whispered. 

Harry however was staring at Lucius in complete shock. Some part of him understood Barty’s reaction and decision to help him. After all, Severus had told the man he was trying to get Harry to switch sides. But Barty had said none of that. And yet Lucius still had agreed to keep quiet at least for a little while. It didn’t make sense. The man should have grabbed him and rushed to the Dark Lord as soon as he knew who he was. Harry groaned, why did nobody make sense anymore? 

“You okay?” Barty asked, Harry looked up at the man holding him and meowed. The man gave a sad smile, “yeah, I wouldn’t be either.” 

**_Severus_ **

Severus was grading another worthless essay when he heard his classroom door open. He looked up to see his godson storm in, door slamming behind him. He raised an eyebrow when Draco came around and sat on the edge of his desk, anger clearly rolling off the young man. 

“Weasley.” Draco muttered, “the idiot thought he was important when he was the Golden boy’s best friend, but now, “ the blond huffed, “ _ now _ he thinks he  _ is  _ the golden boy.” 

“What do you mean?” he asked leaning back in his chair. He hadn’t asked Harry about Granger or Weasley the night before. He got a glimpse of Granger’s betrayal in Harry’s memories, and felt it wasn’t necessary to bring it up. That didn’t mean he wasn’t curious as to their reasons or how they were reacting now that Harry was  _ ‘dead.’ _

“Besides the fact he has gathered all the Gryffindors around him, and they hang on his every word? I always thought Potter was an attention seeker, but he never had an entourage when he walked the hallways. He never used his fame to belittle or attack anyone. But Weasley, he and the others are walking around like a pack of animals, targeting anyone they find ‘dark’ or ‘evil.’ I've had to escort three first years to the hospital wing since yesterday. Blaise found two third years hiding in a closet this morning. And Theo said he found a Ravenclaw hiding in the boys bathroom a couple days ago. Each of them was targeted or attacked by Weasley and his friends.” Draco growled, “Then the prat has the nerve to tell anyone in the hallways that we, the Slytherins, killed Potter. That we sent him off to the Dark Lord.” 

“It's becoming unsafe to go anywhere alone, Uncle. I don’t know what to do. You and father ordered us not to attack anyone, not to draw attention, but we need to be able to defend ourselves and the younger students.” 

“You’re right. Pass the word along that I’m allowing those who need to, to defend themselves, but Draco that is not permission to start fights.” His godson nodded. 

“Thank you.” He expected Draco to get up and leave, return to the common room and tell the others, however the younger man sat there in silence for a moment before he muttered, “Is Potter really dead?” 

“According to the Headmaster and the press, yes.” He answered. He didn’t want to lie to Draco and he wasn’t worried about Dumbledore being able to read his godson’s mind, as Draco was trained in Occlumency. But Draco’s loyalty was to his father first, always. So he couldn’t tell him without telling Lucius, who would tell their Lord. 

“That wasn’t a yes, Severus.” His godson said, looking him square in the eye. 

He had to smirk, “No it wasn’t. Now go tell the others.” His godson sighed but hopped off his desk. When he was at the door, Seveus called out, “and Draco, be careful.” 

“I will.” 

When Draco was gone, Severus went back to grading papers. Or at least he tried to. The press had gotten word about Potter’s death the day before and the rumors and theories were already spreading. 

None of the papers named a source of the information, but Severus knew it had been the Headmaster. And after seeing Harry’s memories he knew why the old fool was doing it. But what didn't make sense was why the man was so sure that Harry was dead. 

The transformation, collar, transportation spell, all got Harry to the Dark Lord, sure. But even if the man had found Harry before the young man had hidden the collar, there was no guarantee the Dark Lord wouldn’t have held him prisoner. Was the Headmaster so sure of his plans that he didn’t consider that? 

He pushed the thoughts away and tried to get back to the essay before him. But a knock at the door had him tossing it aside with a sigh. 

“Come in.” 

He half expected another of his students to walk in, not Remus Lupin. Who looked exhausted and half dead on his feet. 

“Lupin,” he said in lieu of a hello. 

“I want to see him,” the man said, summoning a chair before sitting down. 

“I see you have spoken with the twins,” he said. Lupin gave him a dark look. 

“I need to see him,” the man said, “I can’t tell Sirius about this, not until I know for sure. And Severus, it has to be true. Siri, he, “Lupin cleared his throat, “he’s not okay.” 

Severus' stomach knotted. As much as he hated Black, he couldn’t imagine what the man must be going through. 

“I can’t bring him there,” he said, “nor can I walk you into the Dark Lord’s headquarters.”

“I know.” Lupin muttered. “Fred said he saw him at their shop, can you get him back there?” 

He thought about it, but with Albus and his Lord watching him more and more, he wasn’t sure he could. Not without one of them questioning him. 

“I can’t.” Lupin groaned. “But I know someone who can,” the wolf looked up with a questioning gaze. 

He sighed, “The twins’ potion worked, for about an hour Harry was human again. But just before he changed back, Barty-- Bartemius walked in and saw the transformation. I was able to convince him to keep quiet about it.” Severus rolled his eyes, “The idiot seems to have grown attached to Harry, and if I ask him to take Harry to the twins shop for a couple hours he will.” 

Lupin chuckled, “Only Harry,” the man muttered. Before straightening up in his chair, “Tomorrow? Noon?” he asked. 

“I’ll write a letter to Barty now.” He found a piece of parchment and started writing. He heard Lupin stand and start to walk away.

“Severus.” The man said softly. He looked up, “thank you.” 

His mouth went dry, that was the second time in two days someone had thanked him. It left him feeling unsure, he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to it. Neither the Headmaster or his Lord were prone to showing gratitude. Surprising out of the two it was his Lord that did from time to time. 

Because he didn’t have the words he gave the man a slight bow of his head. Lupin let out a breath before he turned and walked away. 

**_Lucius_ **

It was getting late when he heard his bedroom door open. He knew it was Tom, the man didn’t spend many nights lately in his bed, but he was still the only person who would dare enter without knocking. He didn’t move as he listened to his lover strip down and move toward the bed. He shivered from the sudden cold when the blanket was pulled back and Tom crawled into bed. An arm was tossed over his chest and he was tugged close. He smiled despite himself and he was held against his Lord’s chest. 

When he felt the other man relax, he turned his head enough to press a kiss against Tom’s cheek, “I believe your Heir is safe,” he whispered, before turning back and closing his eyes. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Harry**

Harry paced the end of Barty’s bed. He was nervous and excited. Remus had believed the twins about him and wanted to see him. It left him feeling lighter and happier than he had been in months. The only downside was the waiting. Like right now. Barty was in his bathroom getting dressed and to Harry it felt like the man was moving at a snail's pace. He had yowled and meowed loudly a couple times only for the Death Eater to yell at him to shut up. 

That left him with pacing. 

“You know you're going to wear yourself out,” Barty teased when he finally emerged from the bathroom. Harry hissed at him. The man didn’t seem bothered, just reached down and picked Harry up and left the room. 

Harry sank his claws into the man’s arm as retaliation for taking so long. Barty hissed and flicked Harry’s nose, but the Lestrange brothers walked around the corner so the man was unable to scold him. 

“Where are you off to?” Bastan asked, reaching out to scratch Harry above his ears. Harry was only a little embarrassed when he leaned into the man’s hand. 

“Shopping.” Barty said, glaring at Bastan before he shifted Harry away from the other Death Eaters touch.

Harry snickered, the sound sounded more like a set of strange snorts, but Barty looked down at him and glared. Harry huffed but laid down in the man’s arms, not noticing the strange looks Baston and Rodolphus gave them. 

“Should you be risking it again so soon?” Rod asked. 

“That was like forever ago. Besides, I want to get Mischief more toys.” There was a choked off sound from Bastan and Harry had to fight not to laugh. 

The day before a couple of the Death Eaters had stumbled across the bags the twins had given Barty. Harry had been sitting on the couch in the library with Lucius while he and Narcissa talked about Christmas Holiday, which was only a week or so away.

She wanted Draco to come home for the holidays but Lucius, with a side look at Harry, tried to talk her out of it. Before they could really get into it, a large roar echoed down the halls. All three of them took off running. 

When they found the source, Bastan was standing in the middle of the gathering room, his hair turned into a dark black lion’s mane. His teeth and claws had changed as well,causing the man’s canines to grow so that he couldn’t close his mouth. The claws that he was staring at wide eyed looked more like talons, and when Harry noticed the man’s tail swaying back and forth behind him, he had to sit down because he was laughing so hard he couldn’t breath and he didn’t want to pass out or fall over. 

He was so focused on the half lion half Death Eater that he didn’t notice Bellatrix or Rodolphus until Narcissa gasped and Harry swore the Lady Malfoy snorted before she caught herself and covered her mouth. 

Bella looked less like a lion and more like some kind of snake. She had scales along her face and throat, deep blues and greens, and her tongue when she stuck it out was spilt. Personally Harry thought she looked awesome but from the horrified look on her face she didn’t agree. Her husband was kneeling in front of her, his hands  – well paws – running over her like he was trying to make sure she was okay. Like his brother, he had transformed into a lion. 

Harry was amused as hell until Lucius kicked him, not hard, in the side and hissed, “fix it.” 

Not sure how he was expected to do so, Harry looked around until he found the Weasleys' bags and dragged them over to Malfoy. After that he sat back and watched as both Narcissa and her husband shoved candy after candy at the other three, turning them into creature after creature until they finally found the counter candy and changed back into their human forms. 

Bellatrix had hexed and burned the bags before storming off. 

Harry had been in the best mood after that. So had Barty when the Death Eater found out later what he missed. 

“You okay Bastan?” Barty teased, bringing Harry out of the hilarious memory. 

The younger Lestrange glared at Barty, “don’t buy anymore of those horrid candies,” before turning and walking away, missing Barty’s muttered, “I didn’t buy the first batch.” Rod who was still standing there snorted. 

“I’d be careful Barty, Bas isn’t the only pissed about yesterday, I caught Bella dreaming up ways to skin you.” 

Harry felt Barty shrug, “I can handle her,” the blond muttered, “now I’ve best be heading off.” 

They left without any more interruptions. Barty again cast a glamour before apparating to the Leaky Cauldron, then entering Diagon Alley. As they walked Harry felt his heart pound faster. He knew he shouldn’t be nervous. It was Remus after all. But there was a small part in the back of his mind that was worried that the werewolf would be upset with him. It wasn’t logical and he kept trying to remind himself of that. 

When they entered the twins shop, Harry could actually smell Remus. He whined and wiggled until Barty put him on the ground. Harry didn’t even think about it before he darted into the store and ran up a set of stairs. Remus and twins must have heard them come in because they were about halfway down. Harry didn’t care. The second he saw Remus he leaped into the air, barely registering the horrified look on Remus’s face before the man caught him and pulled him close. Harry purred and meowed against the man’s chest, all his nerves gone as Remus petted and mumbled calming words. 

He was so lost in the soothing feeling of being around someone he loved and cared for as a father, that he didn’t notice as they descended the stairs. He also missed the twins dragging Barty off into the store. In fact he didn’t notice his surroundings until Remus sat down and pulled Harry away from his chest. It wasn’t far, in fact he was still on Remus’s lap, but it was enough they could look at each other. 

“Harry,” the man whispered and Harry’s stomach clenched, Remus had tears running down his cheeks.  _ How did he not notice the man crying? _ He whined and stood up, his paws on Remus’s chest, he rubbed his check against the older man’s using his fur to soak up the tears. 

Remus chuckled and petted the top of his head. “I’m happy to see you too.” 

  
  


**Remus**

Leaving Harry in the arms of Bartemius Crouch Jr. was almost impossible. 

Remus had to remind himself that Severus was  _ there _ to look after Harry and that his godson had already spent weeks amongst the Death Eaters and was clearly being well taken care of. Still a large part of him hadn’t wanted to let go. Harry’s soft meow and a gentle press of his cheek against Remus’s hand told him that it was okay, and he had finally handed the small kitten over to the Death Eater.

The man had given him an understanding look, and it was all too much for Remus.He had to turn and leave the store before he did something regrettable. 

Now he stood outside Grimmauld Place, debating just how he was going to tell Padfoot everything that he had learned, taking one last breath to center himself he walked inside. 

The house of course was busy. Most of the Order members seemed to spend more and more time there the last few days. He knew it was because they believed Harry was dead and they were afraid. Not sure when or where Voldemort would attack next. They felt safer here inside the massive amount of wards the Black family had placed over the generations. 

It irked Remus. This was Sirius' home and the man was grieving, yet almost none of the Order members seemed to care. They didn’t clean up after themselves, they were loud, despite it setting off Walburga Black’s portrait, and the way they talked so carelessly about Harry and his possible fate had Moony growling and wanting to rip them apart. 

The only ones that seemed to care were the Weasleys. He had caught Bill and Charlie both sitting quietly next to Sirius, not really talking but offering comfort. The twins had been by a couple times, and while he didn’t know what the two trouble makers had whispered to his mate, it had cheered him up a little. 

Walking into the kitchen he found Molly busying herself in the kitchen, a couple Order members sitting at the table drinking coffee whispering to each other. He ignored all of them. Walking out of the kitchen and passing the drawing room, he took a deep breath and brought it in through his nose. Sirius' scent stood out as always and he followed it up the stairs and into the room Harry had stayed in over the summer. 

Sirius was laying in the middle of the bed, passed out. Remus caught a hint of salt and water in the air, tears. He swallowed, feeling guilty that he had been with Harry while his mate had been in here crying over their lost godson. 

Turning around, he closed the door as quietly as he could, before pulling out his wand and casting ever privacy and silence spells he knew. When he was satisfied that no one, not even the twins could eavesdrop, he put away his wand and crawled onto the bed next to Sirius. 

Laying on his back he stared at the ceiling. He thought about waking up his friend, but the truth was the other man hadn’t been sleeping and Remus knew he desperately needed it. Turning his head to the side, he took in his mate. The man looked exhausted even in his sleep, he was still slightly underweight from his time in Azkaban, and the clothes he wore didn’t fit right, not even with the help of a few shrinking spells. Yet despite that, he was still handsome. And that wasn’t just Moony talking. 

Sirius has always been good looking; it was one of the reasons he got away with so much when they were younger. Padfoot would just smile and charm his way out of whatever trouble they fell into. And if Sirius couldn’t do it, James could. Remus smiled softly thinking about it. The two Heirs had been more trouble than the Weasley twins and almost as close. 

Sirius shifted in his sleep, letting out a small whimper, giving Remus the urge to reach out and run his hands through the other man’s hair, something he knew would help sooth him. But he held back. He always held back. He sighed, it was worse now. 

Before when they were younger, Sirius had no boundaries. He leaned into, touched, and hugged whoever he wanted. And when he came to his friends it was worse, often using them as pillows or even beds should the desire arise. The closeness had helped calm that wolf in him, the one that swore Sirius was theirs. 

Being the only werewolf at Hogwarts meant that he hadn’t understood the draw, not at first. Nor the need to be close to and protect his best friend. It also meant he didn’t understand when his friends had become more, become a pack. It was only in his seventh and final year that he managed to find a book on werewolves. It had been a fluke – James had dragged them into Knockturn alley looking for something for a prank. While James and Sirius argued and plotted in one shop he had gotten bored and wandered off into the one next door. 

It was a chaotic mess and yet somehow he found a small section of worn and faded books. One stood out. The word Werewolves etched in silver against a black leather cover. His hands had shaken as he reached out and grabbed it. Flipping through a few pages, he found he couldn't breath. There were potions to help with the transformation. Wards and spells to create safe places and information. Things like scent association and marking. Pages on potential mates and pack bonds. He hadn’t been able to put it down. And when his friends finally found him, standing in the middle of the cluttered shop book in hand, James had taken one look at what was in his hand and told the man behind the counter they were taking it. 

He had opened his mouth to protest. Surely it was expensive and he hated having his friends waste money on him. But Sirius had placed his hand over Remus’s mouth and told him not to even try. 

Sirius shifted again, pulling him from his thoughts. This time the other man’s eyes opened and he blinked a couple times before he gave a little smile and whispered, “Hey Moony.” 

“Hey Pads,” he said back, moving to sit up, back resting against the headboard. He heard his friend sigh before he started to shift and do the same. Remus' heart ached not just because of what he was about to tell the other man, but because of what he never had told him. 

When he had read and finished the book, he had finally understood a few things, the biggest being that Sirius was his mate, and that there would always be a connection between them. He had thought about telling him. 

But Sirius was always dating and dropping girls, always talking about how he never wanted to settle down and get married. How boring it would be if he did. Remus had decided to hold back, to wait. Let his friend explore and be young before telling him. But then they graduated and the war got bad, and suddenly it wasn’t about letting Sirius grow, it was his own fear of what would happen if he gave in and claimed Sirius, what would happen to the other if one of them died. So again he kept his secret. Then Lily and James were in danger, and he didn’t think it was right to bring it up. Then they were dead and Sirius was gone. 

It wasn’t until that night in the shack that he realized how desperately he and Moony had missed the other man. Not that he got a chance to tell Sirius anything that night. Somehow he still hadn’t told him. He wasn’t sure if the fear was about possible rejection or if he was afraid of how angry Sirius would be at him for keeping it a secret all these.

“Remus?” Sirius' soft whisper brought him out of his thoughts once again. 

“Sorry,” he whispered. 

“What’s going on?” his friend asked, and Remus could see it in his eyes. Sirius was terrified Remus was about to confirm Harry’s death. The small bit of doubt they had both had after Dumbledore's announcement was the only thing keeping Sirius from losing his mind. And right now the man looked ready to faint, as he waited for Remus to talk. 

“He’s alive,” he whispered. 

Sirius's eyes widened before his eyes darted around the room. He watched as his mate took in the closed, locked door, and the wards before looking back at him. 

“You don’t want anyone to know?” he asked, and Remus nodded. “How do you know for sure?” The next questions came out fast, “Have you talked to him? Seen him? What happened--” Remus held up his hand, stopping his friend. 

“Pads, before I tell you, I need you to promise to listen to everything I say. Then I need you to promise you wont do anything stupid,” his friend frowned at him, but nodded his head. 

“No Sirius, I need you to actually promise,” he said, feeling a little bad about forcing his mate to make a promise. There was a magic to such things and breaking his word would have consequences. 

Sirius studied him for a second before speaking, “ I Sirius Black the Third, swear that I will hear out Remus Lupin and will not react without thinking.” Remus smiled a little, knowing that was the best he was going to get. 

“He’s been cursed…” He stared, and for the next hour or so he told Sirius everything he had learned from both Severus and the twins. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel this note is necessary so please read before reading this chapter. MY version of Tom is very different from the books. I always felt his character was a little flat and under developed. J.K. talks about how he was intelligent, charming, and cunning. Then when we actually met him, he doesn't feel like any of that. I never understood how someone who was supposed to have the loyally shown by Barty, Bella, and the others could have gained that through fear and bullying. Even Snape originally followed him because he was charming and smart. And it just felt off to me. So my Tom is a little more human. That's not saying he wont have his moments where he is stick or dark. It's just that he will also have normal human emotions. If that makes sense. :)

**_Tom_ **

Voldemort, or Tom as his lover insisted on calling him, was watching said lover as the blond talked to the Lestrange brothers. He had been watching him since the night before when he made a comment about his Heir being safe. He thought about questioning him, demanding answers. But he knew Lucius, and the man would have told him any and everything, had he thought he needed. 

Which meant Lucius knew something but felt it was important to keep it from him. It irritated him, but he trusted his lover, so while he wanted to order the man to tell him what he knew, he refrained. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t watching the man closely, trying to puzzle out the information on his own. So far, Lucius hadn’t done anything that might tell him about Harry and he was finding his patience waning. 

He was still watching the blond when Barty walked in carrying red and gold bags. He smirked when he saw Rod take in the bags with an eye roll while his brother glared daggers at Barty. 

The younger man just waved and continued walking into the room. He quickly found a table and put the bags down. He seemed to be searching through them for something when the small kitten his followers were calling Mischief stuck its head out of Barty’s robes and meowed. 

The dirty blond grinned at the cat before pulling it out and gently putting it on the floor. Tom watched as the cat looked around the room. The strange little kitten stopped when it saw him, then narrowed its eyes before shaking its head and turning to look at Barty. 

For some reason as he followed the cat's gaze to Barty, his young follower pulled out a small candle sized tube. He was grinning widely and Tom got the impression chaos was about to ensue. 

Barty’s eyes darted around the room, stopping only twice, once on him and once on the cat, who Tom swore nodded his head before he darted over and meowed at Lucius’ feet. His lover gave the cat a confused look but bent down and picked him up, then he returned to his conversation. 

Not three seconds later the floor rippled and disappeared, buried under what looked like black ink. Tom lifted his legs, placing them on the couch he sat on. 

Then he watched as his followers noticed and started panicking. Well, panicking might have been an exaggeration. All but Luc and Barty pulled out their wands and started casting spells at the black substance, which was subtly rising. When none of their spells worked they started shouting at each other trying to figure out what was going on and if anyone knew how to fix it. 

Tom almost said something, but he was amused for the time being so he let Bartemius have his fun. Summoning a small shield around him, just in case the goo rose above the couch, he looked to see how his lover was handling the strange situation. 

Strangely Lucius was wrapped in a shield of his own, glaring at the cat in his arms and not Barty. 

Tom watched as the cat stuck its tongue out, looking almost like it was laughing. He thought about calling Luc over and asking about it but Bella screamed and his attention was pulled elsewhere. 

He chuckled as she tried to burn the goo off her skirt and legs. The fire hit the black goo, turned green and spread across the top layer of whatever it was that Barty unleashed. It never touched any of his followers – just burned for several seconds then disappeared.

_ An impressive piece of magic,  _ Tom thought, wondering just what else these Weasley’s were capable of. 

While he was impressed, Bella seemed to have figured out this was Barty’s fault because she ranted and raved as she tried to get to him. The goo must have been thick and like sand because she wasn’t moving very far as she dragged her legs though it. 

Barty saw her coming and grinned before dropping some kind of powder on top of the inky goo at his feet. The goo vanished, but only in front of Barty. The dirty blonde grinned at Bella, grabbed his bags and raced towards the door. 

“Bartemius,” he called out just loud enough to halt the younger man in his tracks. Barty looked up at him and then over at the others. Tom tried not to sigh at the pout that appeared on his follower’s face. Barty seemed to have an idea because he smiled at him and pulled another handful of the powder… and levitated it through the air to him. 

Amused by the action, Tom waved his own wand and brought the powder down to the area between him and the door. With a nod of his head, Barty darted out of the room. 

“My Lord!” All three Lestrange cried out at the same time. 

He turned to them, “Yes?” 

Bella’s eyes darted down to the goo and then back up to him, saying what she wouldn’t with words. She was never one to admit failure even if it was from a simple prank. 

He raised an eyebrow. He saw her eyes narrow and then the way she pulled herself up, standing straighter, instead of asking him for help, she pulled out her wand and started firing more spells at the black gunk, which he now noticed was to everyone's knees. 

With her muttered off spells and both her husband and his brother watching her, Tom looked at Luc. His lover was moving across the room towards him, his shield clearing a path before him, which quickly disappeared as soon as he moved. Tom made a mental note that his shield would have worked had Barty not gave him the countering powder. 

“Clever,” he muttered as Luc reached him, and his lover gave him a satisfied smile. 

“Are you going to leave them?” Luc asked looking over at the others. 

“Possibly,” he replied. 

“And if it continues to rise?” 

“I do not think it will,” he said, taking Luc’s arm and turning towards the door, “as far as I can see the Weasley twins prank for fun, not malice. I do not believe they would sell something that could be deadly,” the cat in Luc’s arms purred happily and again Tom found himself looking at it in confusion. 

Luc waited until they were out of the room and the range of the black goop before placing the cat on the floor. The black fur ball took off the second its feet touched the ground. 

“I noticed you were amused by Bartemius’s little prank, does that mean you aren’t going to scold him for it?” Luc asked as they turned and headed for his room. 

“I don’t think it will be necessary,” he replied, “once the others are free, they will find their own way to punish him.” Luc chuckled next to him. 

“Lucius,” he said softly, but even still he felt his lover tense, “If I asked,” he spun and pushed Luc back against the hallway wall, his lover gasping upon impact, “would you explain your statement from last night?” he leaned in close, pleased when Luc shivered against him. 

“I would,” the blond said. Tom pressed in close enough that any gaps between them disappeared. 

“Is there a reason you haven’t told me whatever it is you know?” he asked against the other man’s ear. 

“There is.” Luc replied, sounding a little lost for breath. 

Tom smirked, “Should I be worried?” he asked, nipping his lover's ear. The blond let out a small whine before answering, “No.” 

He hummed as he pulled away. Luc for all his control looked a little flushed and Tom could tell his lover was trying desperately not to show how affected he was. 

“Do you know for a fact Potter is alive?” he asked, the playfulness gone. He might be willing to give Lucius more leeway than his other followers but when it was something this important he found it harder to remain in the dark. 

“I do.” Lucius said, bringing his eyes up to Tom’s, a sign that the other was willing to let him into his mind, should he find he wanted to. He debated it. The desire to know what Luc knew called to him. But he understood that his lover felt it wasn’t the right time. With a sigh, he turned away and started walking towards his own room. He knew the blond followed behind him, he didn’t even need to listen for Luc’s footsteps. When they were outside of his bedroom door, he hesitated then turned and looked at the other man. 

“Is Severus involved in whatever it is you aren’t telling me?” Luc gave a short nod of his head. 

Tom let out a breath and he opened his door. He didn’t pay much attention as he started to get undressed. 

He was too busy feeling relieved that his potion master and friend wasn’t about to betray or leave him. The dark-haired man had been acting odd for weeks now, since Potter had disappeared really. Tom knew how much Lily had meant to Severus and he had no doubt some of that had transferred to the witch’s son. It had always been a regret of his, killing the Potters, especially Lily. Severus had begged him to spare her, and he had tried. But the young mother had refused to move out of his way, and when he heard the telling pop of someone apparating outside of the house, he was left with no choice but to kill her. Or so he had thought. 

Now years later he knew it had been a mistake. It wasn’t even because of the connection he now shared with the young Potter, which at times was inconvenient, but because of something he had learned over the summer. 

Something he had only shared the details of with Lucius. 

Tom sighed and dropped down onto his bed in only his sleep pants, shirt in his hand. 

When he finally had his body back, well the distorted snakelike body version of it, he had started to enact his plan, and one of the first things he had done, after fixing his appearance, was go to Gringotts. 

It should have been simple. Tom M. Riddle had never been convicted of a crime nor pronounced dead, meaning his vaults should have remained intact during his disappearance. 

He had been uneasy when the goblin Herik asked him to follow him into a private room. Luc at his side, had tensed and grabbed his cane tighter, but with a shake of Tom’s head, relaxed. No matter what the goblin had to tell him, it couldn’t have had to do with the Ministry; they had no jurisdiction inside Gringotts or over the goblins. 

When they had followed the creature into an office-like room, the goblin pulled out a stack of papers and asked Tom to read them over. Trying to puzzle out what could be wrong with his vaults, he took the papers and once he started reading them he couldn’t stop. 

The first was an inheritance test, something he had used himself when searching out his family, but this wasn’t his. It belonged to one Lily Potter née Evans.

However the Evans on the parchment was crossed out and replaced with the name Riddle. 

At first he didn’t understand. His muggle father was dead; there were no others to carry on the name. Then the implication hit him, and he looked at the mother's name. 

Darla Morella, a young witch who he had met and gotten close to. She had been brilliant, powerful, and unafraid of him. There were a few months where they became close and after only one night together she confessed that she didn’t believe she could follow him, not like his other followers did. She told him that while she didn’t fear him, she feared what he could become and what might happen if he continued on his path. 

He had been hurt and angry, and should have gotten rid of her that night. 

She knew too much about him, about his followers, about his plans. But in a moment of weakness he had let her go, telling her to stay out of Britain because he didn’t want her caught in the crossfire. She had cried and kissed him goodbye. It was the last he had seen her. 

Months later, Roiser had mentioned hearing about her living in America and that she was well. She was never mentioned again. 

He still didn’t know how Darla died, or how Lily, a pureblood witch, ended up adopted and raised by muggles, but he did know that it was his fault that she was gone. He also knew that it meant her son, Harry, was his grandson. The young Gryffindor was his family, the only blood-related family he had left. Something he had never thought about before. It hadn’t been important to him before. 

Not until he learned that he had already lost a daughter and didn’t want to lose her son. His first order when he had met with his followers that night, those present anyway, was that Potter was not to be harmed, captured if need be, but if anyone hurt the boy they would be punished. 

One of the other papers had been a letter. It was addressed to Mister Riddle and signed from your daughter, Lily. He still hadn’t read it. He was certain Dumbledore had never shared his true name with the Potters. And he couldn’t read the words she might have written to a father she had just learned about, nor could he destroy the letter. It remained unopened in his desk. 

The last piece of parchment Herik had given him was to claim his lordships, both Gaunt and Slytherin, a clause at the bottom stating that he could also declare an Heir, if he so chose. 

He had done what he had to to secure his lordships, but left young Harry out of it until he could speak to him. He needed to explain so many things and he could only hope he got the chance before the stubborn young man lashed out. 

“Tom?” Luc whispered, moving to kneel in front of him. Unable to stop himself Tom reached out and ran his hand along his lover’s cheek. Lucius had something that Darla hadn’t. Maybe it was the man’s determination or loyalty, but Tom had never regretted how things had turned out. 

He did regret never knowing his daughter. He regretted that he had killed her, he regretted all his past attempts to do the same to his grandson, but could never regret his relationship with Lucius. 

“I’m fine,” he told the blond, then tossing his shirt aside he reached forward and pulled Luc over him as he allowed himself to fall back onto the bed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note about Draco. I don't like when he is made in a whiny pathetic brat. Draco in the books while have a few whiny moments was also smart. Add in that I feel like as a pureblood he would have had manners and etiquette shoved down his throat, and his father would have taught him about people. After all he was one of the dark lords top followers, so he must have learned a few things from Riddle. So my Draco while a bit of a daddy's boy is smart and observant. Also less of a snob when not surrounded by his friends.

**Harry**

Sooo, it appeared Narcissa won the argument about where Malfoy (the younger) would be spending the holidays, something Harry wished he had known before now. 

“You must be Mischief?” Malfoy asked before bending down to pet him. Surprised, Harry didn’t have time to duck away from the approaching hand. Silently he cursed, all he wanted was food. 

He had woken up in Severus’ empty bed that morning to find himself creeped out that he missed the warmth of the man’s body. He had groaned thinking that maybe he should try sleeping in the damn cat bed again. After all, he was getting way too used to sleeping next to the other occupants of the Manor. 

With Severus gone and no idea where Barty was, Harry hadn’t had anyone to feed him, meaning Harry was left wandering down to the kitchen in hopes that someone was already in there. Which is how he ran into Malfoy. 

“Father said you were in with Uncle, what are you doing here?” The Slytherin’s fingers were gentle as they scratched along Harry’s head. 

Harry was hit with how bizarre this was; he never imagined Draco Malfoy as the type of person to bend down and pet,  _ gently _ , any animal. Let alone talk to it nicely. 

Maybe it shouldn’t have been as weird as it was, after all the blond’s father was the same way. But he hadn’t known Lucius much before he had arrived here. Draco, however, he did. And the other teen was a smug, arrogant bully. 

A strange urge to run overcame him as he stood there with the blond petting him.  _ This is way too weird, _ he thought as he pulled his head away from the younger Malfoy and darted between his legs. 

He ran into the kitchen and hid under the table. Panting, he forced himself to lay and calm down. He didn’t know why he had panicked. He should have been used to it. The Death Eaters here had no issues picking him up or petting him. It didn’t make sense for him to freak out, unless it was because it was Draco and not one of the others. 

He cringed as he heard soft steps approaching the kitchen. He lowered his head to the floor and watched as the younger Malfoy entered. The blond looked around, clearly searching for him, but after a couple seconds he sighed and left. 

Still Harry waited a good couple minutes before he got up and walked out from under the table. While he was grateful that Malfoy was gone, he wasn’t happy that the kitchen was empty. No Death Eaters meant no food. 

He frowned and walked over one of the low cabinets. Using his paw he pulled open the door. Pots. Frustrated, he moved on and opened the next, more pots. He went to open the next when he heard a throat clear. 

He spun around. Lucius was standing in the doorway leaning on his cane. “My son is under the impression he terrified you and is worried because he cannot find you.” Harry wasn’t sure what embarrassed him more, being caught opening the cabinet doors or that his running away had scared Malfoy enough to seek out his father. 

Thankfully he couldn’t blush, he just lowered his head and hoped the man understood he hadn’t meant to worry his son. 

He heard Lucius move into the kitchen and a second later he was picked up. 

“Don’t worry about Draco, he has a soft spot for animals and finds it troublesome when they don’t like him.” They moved towards one of the large cabinets and when Malfoy opened it Harry’s mouth started to water. It was like a fridge, most likely kept cool with cooling charms. 

He could see a bowl of strawberries, a couple jars of pickles, some eggs, a large brick of cheese. There were more plates and bowls, but Harry’s eyes didn't leave the berries. He meowed and tried to reach out with his paws, telling Malfoy what he wanted. 

The man chuckled, “I’m not sure cats can eat strawberries.” 

He was sure the man was teasing him but he still hissed at him. Lucius grinned before he reached out he took out the bowl, closing the door behind them. Harry expected to stay in the kitchen, however Malfoy carried him and the strawberries off and into one of the sitting rooms. 

The room was always crowded, all the Malfoys, a few Death Eaters, and a Dark Lord. 

He scratched at the man’s hands when he was dropped into Draco’s lap. The elder Malfoy handed his son the strawberries with a smirk before he walked off to sit next to his Lord. Harry made a very unhappy noise and debated jumping off Malfoy’s lap but then Draco held out a berry and Harry’s stomach growled. 

Like with Voldemort, Harry was careful not to touch the blond’s fingers while he ate. 

He tried not to think about how weird it was that the blond was being nice, or that he was sitting in the blond’s lap, or that he was eating out of his rival’s hand. 

Eventually the bowl ran empty and Malfoy put it aside, Harry thought about jumping off and looking for Barty or Snape but instead he laid down and let Malfoy scratch and pet him. 

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep but a full belly and the soft massage felt great and he closed his eyes. 

Some time later he woke up to Malfoy muttering and cursing. He lifted his head and looked around. He hadn’t been in this room before, but from the green and silver dragons painted along the one wall he assumed it was Malfoy’s. 

The blond was laying on his stomach on his bed a few inches away from Harry, his school books open and a couple pieces of parchment floating in front of him. Curious Harry stood up and walked closer. It was a Charms book and Malfoy appeared to be growling at his unfinished essay. 

Harry snorted, which caught the blonds attention. 

“Hey Kitty,” Malfoy said, reaching out to scratch the underside of Harry’s throat. Harry did not purr, honest, he didn’t. Nor did he follow the hand when a smiling Malfoy pulled it away to turn the page of his book. 

Somehow they spent the next couple hours like that. Harry laying next to Malfoy getting petted, while the blond did his homework. He found it amusing how Malfoy muttered to himself and complained as he wrote and then rewrote his essays. 

Eventually Malfoy gave up on his homework, using his wand to gather everything up and levitating it to his desk. When he was done, he sat at the edge of his bed, looking bored and maybe a little lonely. 

Harry wondered about it. Malfoy never seemed lonely before, always surrounded by the other Slytherins. 

“Wanna go outside?” the blond asked. Harry for a second forgot he was stuck as a cat nodded his head. Malfoy’s brow lifted and he titled his head to the side before he shook it and stood up. 

Malfoy, unlike Severus and Barty, didn’t pick him up as he left the room, just walked out and let Harry to chase after him. 

He had to admit in the weeks he had lived in the Manor, he hadn’t been outside, at least no more than a few seconds when Barty was leaving. 

The grounds were beautiful, large trees scattered around leaving much of the area covered in shade. There was a huge flower garden off to his left and another vegetable to his right. Malfoy walked past them and Harry whined. 

There in front of him was a Quidditch pitch. 

It was so unfair that he was stuck as a cat and couldn’t fly around. He didn’t even care that he was at the Malfoys; in fact he really wanted to ask the blond to a Seekers game of catch the snitch. He whined again when Malfoy summoned his broom. 

This time the blond must have heard because he stopped and looked at him, a questioning look in his eye. 

“Not sure father would agree with me flying while holding you,” he muttered. 

Harry meowed again. Screw what Lucius wanted, he  _ needed _ to be on a broom.

He knew he was being stupid, that he was in no way acting like a cat, but he hadn’t flown in months. He was unable to use his broom over the summer and Quidditch practice hadn’t started yet before he had been turned into a damn cat. 

Malfoy was still giving him an odd look when he walked up and meowed at the other seekers feet. 

“Fine.” the blond muttered. Harry actually purred when the other teen picked him up and held him close. 

His heart raced, excited, as they lifted off the ground. 

Harry couldn’t contain the pure happiness and relief he felt as they flew. Malfoy was careful to hold him tightly as he raced around the quidditch pitch, even doing a few dips and dives before landing back on the ground. Harry whined as he was set down on the grass again. 

Malfoy snorted and sent his broom off. 

Despite it ending sooner than he wanted, Harry found himself in a fantastic mood as he followed behind Malfoy as they headed back inside. 

“Piper!” Malfoy called out suddenly, startling him. A house elf appeared at Malfoy’s side. 

“Yes, young master,” the creature said, bowing its head. 

“Bring me and Mischief here a tray of food, we'll be in my room.” Harry rolled his eyes as the elf disappeared. That sounded more like that Malfoy he had known all these years. 

  
  
  


**_Severus_ **

“Ah, Severus my boy,” the headmaster smiled at him as he entered the man’s office. “Thank you for coming.” He acknowledged the man with a slip dip of his head, not really in the mood to talk. 

There were others in the room, Order members, Weasleys mostly, as well as the Minister and Amelia Bones. 

He raised a single eyebrow, asking Albus what was going without opening his mouth. The old fool gave him a small sad smile. 

“The Minister wants to hold a memorial for Harry,” Albus said. If he didn’t have years of experience keeping his face blank Severus would have flinched. “He believes, and I agree, that the people need to be able to mourn the young man that saved them once and died trying to do it again.” 

He almost rolled his eyes at the obnoxious sob that Molly let out, as the woman clung to her husband. 

“It will be held in Hogsmeade of course,” the Minister said. “That way Mister Potter's friends and peers can come.” 

He didn’t ask why he was here. He thought about it and suspected the headmaster wanted to see his reaction, whether it was to see if he was mourning Lily’s son or if he suspected the Dark Lord hadn’t killed the young man, he didn’t know. Either way, he kept his face blank. Eventually a date and time were set. The Minister talked about an article that would be put out tomorrow letting the whole Wizarding world know.

Severus wandered if the man even cared that Potter was supposedly dead. He seemed more worried about using people’s fear and grief to gather support, a lot like Dumbledore. He wanted to snap at both men and the storm out of the room. But he refrained. 

“I think Harry would have loved this,” Molly whispered as they talked about the flower arrangements. 

Surprisingly it was her son, Charlie who snorted, getting the room’s attention. 

“You think Harry cares about the flowers? He wouldn’t want this, any of this. If you know him as well as you think you do, you would know that.” The redhead's mother gasped. 

“Charlie,” the headmaster said softly. “I understand you’re upset--”

“No headmaster,” Charlie cut him off, “you don’t understand anything about how I’m feeling.” Severus almost patted him on the back when the younger man grabbed his cloak and stormed past him and out of the office, his older brother following after him. 

“I’m sorry, Albus.” Arthur said with a small shake of his head. “This has been hard on all of us.” 

“It’s quite understandable.” Dumbledore reassured the man. 

He almost scoffed at them, but he was replaying Charlie Weasley’s comments inside his head.  _ Know him, Harry cares, _ all present tense. It seemed Charlie still didn’t believe Harry was dead. 

  
  


An hour later, he was standing outside his Lord’s office door wondering how the man was going to take the news about the Memorial. 

Truth was it was getting harder to predict the man’s actions lately. 

Something was different about him. Years ago, Severus had been sucked in by the brilliant charming man who promised him a better world for people like him, wizards that still practiced dark magics and held to old traditions. 

He hadn’t minded bowing down to the man. The Dark Lord radiated power and confidence, he made you feel like you wanted to learn from him, to follow, to submit. The man had always had a way of making it feel safe and comfortable to bow down or kneel before him. 

But in that last year or two of the war something changed. Suddenly he was colder, meaner, and kneeling before him became something Severus feared instead of embraced. 

When he heard that the man he had looked up to was going after Lily, he had panicked. He had begged for her. If it had been a year earlier he might have begged for her child, maybe even her prat of a husband, but at that time, he knew he was pushing it just asking for her to be spared. 

Then for the first time since he met the Dark Lord, he betrayed him. He ran to Albus and warned him that Lily was in danger. The man had assured him that that was impossible and told him that it wasn’t too late to change his ways. He had snapped at the old man, telling him he knew for a fact that Lily’s life was in danger and demanded he do something. 

The time it took to convince the man had been too much. By the time he was given the address, he knew it was too late. He felt his mark burn, causing him to cry out from the unexpected pain, all before he apparated away. 

He didn’t look around once he landed outside of the house, just raced in through a shattered door, barely noticing the body of his school rival on the floor as he raced up the stairs in search of Lily and her son. 

Later when Albus approached him, he had been heartbroken and angry. Betraying his Lord felt small compared to the loss of his friend. It was only after, when things started to settle and the others were being chased and tried that he realized he hadn’t just betrayed his Lord, he had betrayed his friends. He had done his best to help Lucius and Narcissa, giving them both a witness to their Lord cursing them. 

The whole thing had left him sick, and he knew it was worse on Luc.

It had taken years for them to find their feet again, to become the friends they once had been, and it only happened after Severus confessed his actions. Surprisingly Luc and Cissa had understood. Besides, Luc reminded him, his actions had no bearing on what had happened to their Lord. He had vanished while Severus had been pleading with Dumbledore. 

When the Dark Lord had returned Severus was sure he would be killed. But it never happened. He wasn’t even punished. He was sure the man knew he had betrayed him, but for some reason it was never mentioned. And when it became clear that the Lord before him was the one he had met and admired not the one he had started to fear, he had been left conflicted. 

It wasn’t about Dumbledore, Severus had spent enough years around the man to know he wasn’t what he pretended. No, it was because of the child he hadn’t wanted to allow himself to care about. He was stuck between his returning loyalty to his Lord and the desire to protect his best friend's son. 

Which of course got weird when his Lord ordered no harm to come to the boy. Severus had tried to find out why, but none of the others knew. He was sure Luc did, but his friend wouldn’t betray his lover’s secrets. 

He was at a loss. Potter needed him, to help cure him and protect him. His Lord wanted him to find the boy, but wouldn’t say why or what would happen when he did, and Dumbledore clearly wanted Potter dead. 

It all left him unbalanced — his Lord’s new orders, Harry’s furry situation, Dumbledore’s lies. 

“Severus?” His Lord’s voice was soft even as it startled him. He shoved his conflicting emotions aside, burying them behind his mental walls and bowed his head to his Lord. 

“I have news, my Lord.” 

“Come in.” 

He sat there across from his Lord, still conflicted, still unsure, and told him about Dumbledore and the Ministry's plans. 

He expected a similar show of power as when he told him about Dumbledore telling the Order of Harry’s death. Instead his Lord sat back in his chair, one leg over the other and his hands folded together over his knee. 

“Does he expect an attack?” the man asked. 

Severus shook his head and then stopped, “I’m not sure. He didn’t mention it. But that could have been because the Minister was there.” 

“And after he left?” His Lord asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I don’t know. The headmaster dismissed me before the Minister left,” he replied. The room fell silent as his Lord appeared to get lost in his own mind.

“Are you?” he asked after a minute, he wasn’t sure why he asked. He wasn’t one to question the other man, but for some reason this felt important. 

“Am I what?” his Lord said without looking at him. 

“Going to attack the Memorial?” 

“No,” His Lord replied and suddenly Severus was staring into the man’s blue eyes, “attacking Potter’s memorial would do nothing but frighten the people and send them right into Albus’s hands.” The man shook his head and Severus released a breath, “which is exactly what he wants. No, I think I have a better idea.” 

Severus' stomach tightened, he wasn’t sure he liked the smug look his Lord now wore. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have had a little bit of fun messing with Draco in this chapter.

**_Harry_ **

Harry stared at the Daily Prophet that Draco held. He couldn’t contain the rage that filled him and before the blond could stop him, he lunged at the paper, hissing and ripping it apart with his claws. When nothing was left and he was panting for breath he backed away from the mess he made. 

He heard someone laughing behind him and turned around to see Draco Malfoy flat on his ass, laughing so hard he was gasping for breath. Harry stood there watching him for about 3 minutes before he got annoyed and walked over and scratched the blond’s ankle. 

“Fuck!” The Slytherin cursed ripped his ankle away from him. 

“That’s rude, you know,” the other teen muttered before pulling himself up so that he was kneeling a few feet away from Harry. “So don’t like the idea of your memorial?” Malfoy asked, and Harry took a step back. 

_How the hell had Malfoy known?_ He thought as he debated how fast he could run out of the other’s room. 

“Speechless? Really Potter?” the blond asked with an eyebrow raised. Instead of running, Harry wondered if he could get away with digging his claws into the annoying blond’s face. 

He settled for hissing at the other teen, who just snorted. 

“You know at first, I thought I was losing it.” Draco said, shifted to sit on the floor. “You know it wasn’t just you. Uncle Sev never admitted you were dead. Then I heard about a new cat in the Manor that both him and my father are taking care of, it was odd but not out of the norm. Not until said cat wanted to _fly_ , and kept reading over my essays like I wouldn’t notice. Stranger still was how you never attacked the flying parchment like it was a toy or how you react when people talk to you. I mean Potter, you nodded to me when I asked if you wanted to go for a walk,” the blond snorted, ‘how has the Dark Lord or father not figured--” Malfoy stopped his eyes growing wide. 

“Father knows,” he whispered, it suddenly hit him how weird his father had acted around the cat. “Bloody hell,” the blonde shook his head, “that's what the whole strawberry thing the other day was, wasn’t it? He was messin’ with you.” Harry started to get worried when Draco’s face got more pale than usual, “He’ll kill him,” the other boy muttered, sounding terrified. 

_Shit_ , Harry thought, _Darco thinks Voldemort is going to kill his father for keeping this a secret._

Harry rushed forward and bumped his head against the Slytherin’s chest. It was like Draco didn’t feel it, not really but his hand came down and found Harry’s head and he started petting him absentmindedly. The other boy seemed so lost in his panic that he didn’t even react when Harry licked his hand. 

Not sure what else to do, Harry opened his mouth and bit the other boy's hand. Draco cried out and fell backwards. 

“The hell was that for!” Draco glared at him. 

Harry just huffed and turned towards the bedroom door. It didn't take more than a second for Draco to get to his feet and follow Harry out of the room. Harry made his way to the elder Malfoy’s room and looked back at Draco. 

The blond looked confused as hell as he knocked on his father’s door. 

Thankfully Lucius was in there and alone. The man gave them both a look over before raising his eyebrow and Harry choked when Draco looked panicked when he realized he had no excuse for why he was knocking on his father’s door. 

Both Malfoy’s looked at him and Harry sighed, before he darted between the elder Malfoy’s legs and into the man’s room. He worked his way to the side of the bed and jumped onto it. When both blonds came in he gave Draco a pointed look and then looked at Lucius. 

The younger Malfoy shook his head. Harry hissed at him. Draco shook his head again. Harry let out a frustrated sound, why was Malfoy being an idiot, he hissed again and this time Draco glared at him. Harry stared at him. Draco stared back. 

Finally they were broken apart by Lucius saying, “are you two going to finish anytime soon?”

They both jumped and looked at the man. Draco dropped his head and looked down at the floor. Harry rolled his eyes and gestured his head toward the man’s son. Lucius seemed to understand him. 

“How did you know?” he asked his son as he sat on the edge of his bed. 

Draco lifted his head and started to tell him the same thing he had Harry about how he figured it out. Harry, having heard it before, ignored them and moved close to Lucius, shoving his head under the man’s hand until he started petting him. The two Malfoys talked for a few minutes before Harry started to drift off. 

“You what?!” He heard Lucius say his voice suddenly quite loud. Harry opened his eyes to see Draco’s cheeks pink and him looking anywhere but at his father. Harry nudged the man’s hand, trying to figure out what he missed. 

Lucius looked down at him, “He took you flying?” the man looked upset about it. Not that Harry understood why. He nodded his head. 

The man cursed, in several languages, he moved away from them and started pacing. Harry looked at Draco, maybe he would understand what the hell was going on, but Draco looked just as bewildered as Harry. 

“Father?” the other boy said after a few moments. 

Lucius shoulders dropped and he turned to look back at them. 

“You can’t do that again, Dragon,” the older man sighed, “if he had fallen,” he shook his head, “he can’t use his magic to save himself.” Harry hissed at the man. He may be stuck as a cat but he wasn’t helpless, and no way was he giving up flying, not when he finally found a way he could do it, just because Lucius was worried. 

The man glared at him, “if you died and it was his fault, do you know what would happen to him?” the man snapped, “not just at the hands of our Lord, but your Godfather? Your friends?” Harry snapped his mouth shut. He hadn’t thought about that. Not that he understood why Voldemort cared. But Padfoot and Moony. He could see them going after Draco. Maybe not if someone explained it correctly, but he wasn’t sure his godfathers would give them a chance. 

He let out a soft meow and dropped his head back on the bed. 

He heard Lucius exhale. “Pott- Harry, I understand how hard this must be. You are trapped. Unable to do much of anything, including eat on your own. You can’t do things you would normally do to alleviate your boredom and that has to be frustrating. I will see what I can do about that. But for now, no more flying.” The last bit was directed at both him and the younger Malfoy. 

Harry nodded his head and Draco muttered, “yes father.” 

“Father?” Draco said a second later. Both Harry and Lucius looked at him. “Why haven’t you told our Lord?’ he fidgeted as he asked and sent Harry an apologetic look. 

“I have my reasons. By mainly I am waiting to see if Severus finds a cure.” the man said. 

“Aren’t you..” Harry watched as Draco bit his bottom lip, “aren’t you afraid he will be upset? 

Lucius looked at Harry and then at Draco, an uncertain look on his face. Harry got the impression the man wanted to have this conversation alone. Got up and jumped off the bed. 

As he raced out of the room, he thought about it and he was pretty sure Lucius wasn’t worried because of his close relationship with the Dark Lord. Harry wondered if Draco knew about it? Or if he was about to find out. 

**_Severus_ **

He had been summoned, by owl, to another Order meeting. He was getting rather sick of them truthfully. It seemed Dumbledore was calling the group together more and more often and yet the old man never really said anything new. 

He didn’t want to go but knew that he couldn’t miss it. Besides he was sure it was about the Memorial for Potter and he was curious what precautions the headmaster was going to take to stop an attack that wasn’t going to happen. 

When he entered Grimmauld Place it was to some very loud shouting. 

“You can’t be serious!” Charlie Weasley’s voice carried down the hallway. 

“It’s what’s for the best!” Molly shouted back at her son. 

“It’s bullshit!” the young man snapped back. 

Severus walked into the dinning room, Molly and Charlie were standing a few feet about yelling at each other. Arthur at his wife’s side trying to calm her down. Bill stood behind his brother, but he seemed more intent on watching them interfering. The twins thankfully were closer to the entrance and he was able to slip in next to them unnoticed. 

When he was at their side, he whispered, “what happened?” 

The twin closest to him snorted, “Mom and the headmaster want Ginny to talk at the memorial. Some nutty idea that she should address the people and encourage them to keep fighting. Says it's what Harry would have wanted.” 

“Charlie told her she’s lost her mind,” the other added in a gleeful tone. 

“Dumbledore is sounding desperate.” he muttered. Both twins looked at him with an eyebrow raised and he wondered if they noticed they each had the opposite brow lifted. 

“He wants to use Harry’s death to get as many people to follow him as possible. First, he released the story, then the memorial, now this with your sister.” He looked back at Molly. She was shaking her head and giving Charlie a very disappointed look. He looked back at the twins, and gestured his head toward the stairs. 

It was easy for them to slip away head up the stairs and into the twins room. Casting privacy spells as he walked into the room, he waited until the wards were up and the door was closed before he finished his thought for before, “Something didn’t go the way he wanted.”

“You mean with the article?” One of the twins said. 

He nodded,“I think Albus believed that would be enough. Just getting the word out that Potter was dead. It should have driven people to him. He is after all the last light Wizard alive capable of killing the Dark Lord.”

“Only it didn’t work,” the other twin said, again he nodded his head. 

“So the memorial--” they said together, 

“only again something about it--” 

“Isn’t going the way he wanted--”

“And he wants Ginny to make a speech--” 

“About fighting--”

“To get them to follow him.” they finished as one. 

“Correct.” he said. He tried to think about it. Why the people weren't flocking to Dumbledore like he, and truthfully like Severus himself, thought they would? There had been outrage the day after the article came out. People storming the Ministry, Diagon Alley, even the gates of Hogwarts itself, demanding answers. 

But after a few days it died down. 

When the memorial article came out and he had expected the same kind of reaction. Only there hadn’t been. Sure he heard people talking about it when he had been out, but not to the same extent as the previous article. Why weren’t they reacting like the scared people they should have been? 

There was a knock on the door. Severus cast a disillusionment charm over himself as one of the twins opened the door. 

Lupin stuck his head in. “You three need to come back down stairs,” he said before turning to walk away. The twins looked at him again with their opposite eyebrows raised, now he was sure they did it on purpose. 

He cancelled the charm, “he either smelled me or already knew I was here,” he answered their unasked question. 

They made their way down stairs. Albus standing at the end of the kitchen table papers and parchment spread out across it. Even from across the room he recognized the layout of Hogsmeade. 

“We need to set up anti-apparition wards and block portkeys from anywhere inside Hogsmeade,” the man stared once he saw everyone was there. “We can cast a few protection wards over the stage area. But I believe our best chance is to have our people spread out amongst the crowd, watching and looking out for any known or suspected Death Eaters.” 

The group started talking about finding ways to stop Death Eaters from coming and it turned into an argument. Severus found his attention slipping. He let his eyes drift first over the group at the table and then to the ones that were positioned farther away from it. Lupin and Black were standing in the doorway between the dinner room and the kitchen, their heads close together as they whispered back and forth. 

The twins were in a similar position off to his right, only they were looking over some kind of notebook. Charlie it seemed, wasn’t in the room, his older brother however was. 

Bill wasn’t watching the table, no, he was watching the others just like him. The cursebreaker seemed focused on Black and the twins. He kept looking back and forth, like he was looking for something and wasn’t seeing it. 

Severus watched him for a minute before the redhead must have felt eyes on him. His head snapped up and he locked gazes with Severus. He tilted his head to the side, like he was asking the younger man what he was doing. Bill narrowed his eyes and looked back at his younger brothers. 

The man shook his head and looked back at the Order members around the table. Severus was a little surprised at the disgusted look that filtered across the other’s face before it was hidden away by a rather bored look. 

His attention on Bill caused him to miss the twins moving closer, a nudge against his arm had him looking down. It was the notebook and it was open to a page where he could see a couple spells written out in excruciating detail along with two potions. 

He took the notebook and looked over the potions, if he had to guess it was the Canary cream potion and the spells at the top where the part of how the twins made their candies. The second potion was changed here and there and he assumed it was what had worked to give Harry back his body, temporarily. There were also a few notes off to the side, and as he read over it he realized the twins had fiddled with that potion. 

He looked at it and started calculating and shifting their potion around in his head. He summoned a quill and crossed out, powered toadstool, and changed it to minced winter mushrooms. Both ingredients were mushrooms but toadstool’s were usually poisonous and could have a negative effect on potions. He had found over the years the winter mushrooms were the best to work with. He reread the potion, then the spells at the top. 

The twins truly were impressive, the transfiguration spells at the top, were well crafted and he if he had to guess a twins original as he had never seen either before. The potion was a different take on a common one used for 6 year students used to shift into a specific animal. Similar to a polyjuice potion.

It was often used so that they could go further into the forbidden forest unnoticed, it used to be part of the DADA class. It allowed the students to study the creatures that lived there without having to fear for their lives. It hadn’t been used in the last few years as none of the DADA teachers had wanted to make the trip. 

The twins had tweaked it enough that they could create the animal the person who ate them to turn into instead of an already existing animal. It truly was an amazing piece of work. 

He put his quill away and handed the notebook back to the twins. 

Their whole exchange was missed by everyone except Lupin and Bill. Lupin just raised an eyebrow in question, while Bill studied them. 

He shook his head at Lupin and smirked at Bill. 

When the meeting was over, he was hoping he could head back to the school and finish going over the stack of horribly written 1st year essays on his desk. But he was quite literally dragged out of the room by the twins. Lupin and Black grinning as they followed behind. 

He noticed Bill watching them and could tell the curse-breaker wanted to follow. He stopped, halting the others, and really looked at the oldest Weasley child. 

“Do you trust your brother?” he whispered to the closet twin. The two identical boys exchanged a look and then looked at their eldest brother. 

Then they waved him over, “come with us.” they said as one.

Black snorted when Bill just nodded his head and followed them up the stairs. Lupin somehow ended up in front of them, the werewolf led them into his room. 

Severus didn’t pull his wand. Instead he watched Bill as the twins drew theirs and started casting spell after spell. Their brother looked confused at first then surprised as the spells they cast grew stronger and if Severus was any judge just shy of dark. 

When they were done, Bill closed his eyes and pushed his hand out. To Severus and the others in the room it looked like he was touching the air, but in reality he was sensing the magic and wards his brothers had just placed. Not many had the skill to do that, and Severus was a little envious. 

“You two could make a killing creating wards.” Bill muttered when he opened his eyes. He smiled at his brothers for a second before looking at the rest of the group, “Where is Harry?” he asked.


	14. Chapter 14

“How do you know he’s alive?” Lupin asked. Somehow the wolf didn’t sound concerned but Severus could see the way him and Black had tensed.

Bill shifted his feet a little looking somewhat guilty. 

Severus’s hand found his wand. 

“You mean besides Sirius’s grieving being short lived or how never once did Severus agree with or support Dumbledore’s claims? Or how my brothers never reacted like they were hurt or heartbroken despite how close I know they are with Harry?” the older Weasley shot a quick look at his brothers, “have you forgotten how many times I’ve caught you sending him things in the middle of the night?” Both twins blushed and lowered their heads. 

“Besides all that,” the curse-breaker took a breath, the guilty look from before returned. “his vaults are still active.” Severus almost laughed. How had no one else thought about that? 

“Couldn’t that have just meant no one shut them down?” One of the twins asked. 

Their brother shook his head, “the goblins are meticulous about the vaults. They check and recheck every security measure and maintenance spell or ward daily. They know almost instantly when someone’s vault is sealed off. Whether it's done by the client or outside sources, like arrest or death, they know.” 

“How?” this time it was Black who spoke. 

Getting the impression this was going to go on for a while, Severus pulled his wand and summoned a small couch. He sat down and a second later Bill joined him. Lupin and Black sat on the edge of the bed, Severus was positive they shared, and the twins just dropped to the floor sitting cross legged, looking at their brother like he had their full attention. 

“When you open a vault, you are required to give a few drops of blood and a sample of your magic, correct?” Severus nodded his head as did the others in the room. Even the twins, who he had to wonder about, when had they opened a vault? They were still in school, shouldn’t they still be using their parents?

“Well the goblins use those to bind the vaults to the client, or a client’s bloodline, when a person dies it affects the blood and magic, which triggers a spell that seals the vault. Normally when that happens the goblin in charge of the vault pulls the required documents and then summon whoever the vault transferred to, if it does in fact go to someone. If it doesn’t. The vaults are left closed off.” 

“When Dumbledore told the Order Harry was dead. I didn’t believe him. Neither did Charlie. The next day when I was at work I sought out the goblin in charge of the Potter vaults. He refused to tell me anything about them because I’m not a Potter, but he did tell me they were still active.” 

“Which means Harry had to still be alive.” Lupin muttered. The wolf looked at him, worried, “Would Albus think to question the goblins?” 

“He hasn’t yet.” Bill said before he could answer. He looked over at the redhead who grinned, “I asked them to keep me updated on if anyone inquired about the vaults.” 

“And they just agreed?” He asked because he didn’t believe it. Goblins and wizards didn’t really get alone. The curse-breaker shrugged, “they like me.” he muttered much to the amusement of the others in the room.

After a second Bill spoke again, “so is Harry alight? And why are you worried about the headmaster looking into his vaults?” 

Severus looked at Lupin and Black, it was their choice whether they wanted to tell Bill anything. To two men exchanged a look, and like the twins often did, held a complete conversation without saying a word, before Black smiled and looked back at Bill.

“It's a hell of a story, kid,” the animgues started. 

Before he got going however, Severus cleared his throat, “as I am not needed for this, I shall be going.” 

The three older men nodded their heads and Bill muttered a good bye, but the twins were doing that silent conversation thing again before one of them stood up and gestured toward the door. With a long sigh he followed the young redhead out of Lupin’s room and down the hall and into the twins room. 

“Me and George have an idea,” Fred started, and Severus made a note of which he was talking to because he wanted to learn to tell them apart. 

“What kind of idea?” he asked, an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach, 

“Well Harry’s got to be lonely,” he glared at the redhead in front of him, not that it seemed to have any effect in fact the twin grinned, “not that you aren’t awesome company, or that Barty isn’t either. But Harry has to be missing his friends.” That Severus had to agree with. 

“What is your plan exactly?” 

Fred winked at him and then a small burst of magic came from the twin. A second later a fox was sitting on the floor where a second before the boy had stood. It’s fur was mostly red, except some black along its spine and tail,and a small bit of white on its chest. 

“You’re joking.” he muttered, though he knew the twin wasn’t. 

The fox shook its head. 

“And how are you going to disappear and no one notice?” 

Another burst of magic and Fred was back in his human form, “We’re twins.” the young man said, like it explained everything-- which after a second of thinking it kind of did. The two boys were already impossible to tell apart, even their own mother confused them. They spent very little time around the Order members, preferring to keep themselves locked away in their room. If George was careful about it, he could pretend to be both of them and no one would notice. At least for a short while. Sooner or later, someone would realize they hadn’t seen both twins in a while. 

“Fine.” he said, stepping forward so that he was right in front of the younger man, “but you will be on your best behavior. I don’t care if you prank the other Death Eaters. But you will not attack them or do anything foolish. If I find you have retaliated against them in any way I will turn you into potion ingredients. Understood?” The redheaded nodded his head. 

“And for your own sake, do not prank the Dark Lord.” Fred snorted before shifting back into his fox form. Severus was starting to worry about his own mental health as he bent down and picked up the surprising light animal. 

_ Why was he doing this? _ It was a ridiculous risk, if Fred was found out, he could be killed. Not to mention someone would wonder about how the young wizard had gotten into the manor, and yet, he was still agreeing. 

He didn’t show his uneasiness as he left, nor when he apparated to Malfoy Manor. He didn’t let his nerves show as he greeted Bastin in the entryway. His hands however shook a little when the other man told him his cat had last been seen with Draco. Somehow he had forgotten his godson was coming home for the holidays. 

He headed straight for the younger Malfoy’s room, only to find it empty. Not wanting to search the entire manor he pulled out his wanted and muttered a  _ ‘point me’ _ spell. Following his wand to his room was a bit of a surprise.

He held Fred carefully as he opened his door and stepped inside. He let out a relieved breath when he found a small black kitten asleep in the middle of his bed. 

A small bark startled both him and Harry. The kitten’s head shot up. He took in Severus and the fox in his arms before titled his head to the side clearly confused. 

Severus sighed, “your idiot friends missed you.” 

The fox barked again and started wiggling and trying to get free of his hold, annoyed he dropped Fred onto the bed. The fox didn’t seem to care, just hopped over to Harry and started nudging and licking him. 

Severus was about to explain in more detail what was going on, but Harry’s eyes widened as he sniffed the fox and then he was on his feet jumping and tackling his friend. There were a few excited yips and meows as the two played. 

_ Perhaps the twins had been right about just how lonely Harry had been _ . Then he wondered about just how close the three had to have been that Harry in his cat form knew the other boy by his scent. Of course as he stood there watching them he started to notice the animal hair they were leaving behind on his bed. 

“Would you two be so kind as to move this little reunion to the floor?” he snarked. Both cat and fox froze. Their heads turned to look at him, and then at each other. Severus felt his eyes narrow. It didn’t matter that they were in animal form. He could tell they were amused by his annoyance, and that usually meant trouble. Especially if one of the Weasley twins was around. 

“Don’t you dare.” he growled out. The fox snickered and in a flash both animals were laying down rolling around on his blanket. 

Severus pulled out his wand. 

“You little--” 

“Severus.” 

Surprised he spun around to see his Lord standing in his doorway, looking not at him but at his bed. He swallowed and bowed his head. 

“My Lord.” he greeted the man, hoping it would pull his Lord’s attention back to him. 

“I need a word.” The man said before he turned and walked away. 

Severus only waited a second before he looked at the two frozen animals on his bed, “behave.” he muttered before following after his Lord.    
  


**_Harry_ **

He should have been worried about what Voldemort wanted with Severus but the truth was he was too excited to see Fred, and it was positive it was Fred and not George because George always smelled like rain when he hugged him, while Fred reminded him of the fresh mint. He’d never told them that but the second the fox got close enough he could all he could smell was mint and knew without a doubt who it was. 

Him and Fred had frozen when Voldemort spoke but thankfully the man didn’t ask any questions and left quickly. 

The second both men were gone Harry lunged at his friend. Fred dodged him, darted to the side of the bed and jumped off. Harry rushed over and looked over the edge. Fred was sitting there looking back up at Harry with his tail wagging behind him. Amused Harry jumped off the bed, aiming for his friend. 

As they raced around the room, Harry couldn’t help but be amazed by Fred’s fox. He had known the two were working on becoming animaguses. They had written about it to him, in detail, but they hadn’t achieved it yet in the last letter he had read from them. It seemed in the weeks since he had been with the Death eaters, they had and of course they were foxes. 

He had bet on Coyotes, telling the twins that it would suit them best, but truthfully he had pictured them as clever foxes. 

He was a little jealous. He had told them how badly he wanted to learn and they had promised to try and help him this year at school but they hadn’t gotten a chance the first couple weeks and then he had found that damn memory in the headmasters office and everything went to hell. Now he was trapped in this form and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to try to become an animagus in the future. Not after having been stuck for so long as a cat. 

A bark from Fred, who somehow had ended up on Severus’s desk had him pushing aside his thoughts as he scrambled across the room and jumped on to the desk chair and then onto the desk. 

Of course just as he hopped onto the wooden desk, Fred made a laughing sound and jumped off. Harry meowed at his friend and followed. The impact was a little hard, but it didn’t hurt, not that he didn’t let out a pained whine and licked at his front paw. 

He heard Fred’s careful steps as his friend walked over to check on him. When the fox was close enough, Harry tackled him. 

They continued playing until Harry was out of breath. Finally he just dropped to the ground and refused to move again. Fred tried a couple times to get him to play more, even going so far as the bit down (gently) on the extra fur around his neck and pulling at him. But he just shook his head and remained where he was. After a couple seconds his friend huffed and gave up. Laying down next to him, Fred pressed against his side. Harry couldn’t help but inch as close as possible. Feeling perfectly content he closed his eyes. 

He jumped a little when Fred licked at his ear. But figured the older boy was still being playful, so he ignored it. It was only as Fred’s licking moved over his neck and towards his check, that he realized it was more that Fred was grooming him then playing, it was strange but comforting. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I fucked myself. I really wanted the twins running around Malfoy Manor causing problems while keeping Harry company. But this chapter was hard to write. I don't know why really but it just wanted work the way I wanted. I'm sorry it took so long to get done. Hope you like it.

Severus' head spun as he left his Lord’s office. He couldn’t believe what the man had just told him. Not even after reading over the papers himself. Lucius had stood behind his lover watching Severus closely as he had read over the Gringotts documents. At first he was nervous, worried that he had done something to displease both men. But as he read he realized it wasn’t that, it was Luc’s way of showing support. Not to just for his lover but for his friend.

He sighed and leaned against the cool stone wall, at least now he understood why his friend had kept Harry’s secret. 

He closed his eyes and tried to sort through everything. 

His Lord regretted killing Lily. That thought had shaken him to his core. All his anger at the Dark Lord was over that betrayal. The fact that the man he looked up to and all but worshiped had killed his best friend, after swearing to spear her. It was the very reason he turned on his friends and even some of his own beliefs. It was why he went to Dumbledore in the first place. 

Hearing that it wasn’t just because she was his daughter, but because prophecy and the circumstances around it didn't make sense. Left him angry, and heartbroke. 

How had he missed it? No teacher in Hogwarts history had ever been interviewed outside of the school, let alone in a public and packed pup. The only thought he ever had about the where was that it had been odd. But he had pushed it aside, forgotten about it. 

They were in the middle of war, why would the location of her interview matter? 

Sure over the years he had thought of Sybill as a fraud. An over dramatic attention seeker. But he never doubted the prophecy, after all Dumbledore believed in it. Who was he to doubt it? 

How stupid he had been. He never trusted anyone at their word. Always checking and double checking. Yet for some reason he’d never thought about researching or looking into the words the supposed seer has spoken. 

They hadn’t spoken about his betrayal. His Lord just said he understood Severus loyalty and wished he had been in his right mind that Halloween night. 

He thought about it then, how the knowledge of having a daughter had affected the Dark Lord and he wondered what it had been like for Lily. She had been so proud about being a muggle-born. The fact that she was born of two worlds and got to experience the miracles of both. She had been headstrong and stubborn whenever other’s tried to make her feel like she was less, just because she wasn’t a pure-blood. Had finding out the truth changed how she looked at herself? 

He gritted his teeth as he thought about the letter in his Lord’s desk. Oh how he wanted to read it. See what she had written to the father she just discovered. Had she been nervous? Excited? 

Most importantly had she wanted to meet him? Has she thought about introducing him to Potter and Harry? 

He swallowed over the lump that had built in his throat, as he thought,  _ would it have saved her life? _

He shoved away from the wall. Those kinds of thoughts would drive him mad. What he needed to worry about now was Harry. 

Heading towards his room, he wondered how the boy would take this news. He would be outraged now doubt, but would he believe it? Accept it? Severus shook his head. He couldn’t tell the boy yet. Not while he was trapped as a cat. It wouldn’t be fair. Harry needed to be allowed to rant and rave when he found out. He couldn’t do that as a cat. 

With his Lord searching for Harry and Lucius' deadline, Severus was running out of time. Both to cure Harry and warn him. 

As he reached his bedroom, he thought over the last bombshell his Lord had dropped. The one that answers so many of his unasked questions. 

The Dark Lord had revealed that after he had heard about Harry’s supposed demise and Severus' doubt about its genuineness. He, like Bill Weasley, had sought out the goblins. Only instead of looking into the activity of the Potter Vaults, he had checked the status of his own. Which by blood Harry was linked to. With the goblins' word that his grandson was alive, his Lord was able to take a breath and allow Severus and Lucius to keep their secrets, the man made sure to point this out with a very pointed look at both men. 

While he let them do what they were doing he had set out with his own play. He had sent out his Death Eaters to whisper in all the right ears about how they doubted the boy-who-lived’s death. He had them ask people about how it had happened? Where was the body? Why were there no details? The questions and doubt spread like wildfire and Severus was impressed by the simplicity of it all.

On one hand Dumbledore was making a show of the boy’s supposed death. Doing everything and anything he could to make the people believe it. The article, the memorial, Ginny’s upcoming speech. On the other, his Lord was using whispers in the dark and doubt to undermine the headmaster's moves. 

He worried about what would happen when Albus figured out his plans weren’t going to work. The man had already, to his knowledge, killed Potter. What would he do when the people didn’t move to follow him? Severus released a breath, whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good. 

He opened his bedroom door and froze. He had expected the two young men to be goofing off on his bed, like they had been before he was pulled away. Instead they were wrapped around each other on the floor, sound asleep. He gave them a small smile.

Stepping into his room, closing the door behind him. He moved to his bathroom hoping a hot shower would help him figure out what he was going to do. 

  
  
  


**_Harry_ **

  
  


When he woke up the next morning it was to Fred nipping his ear. He hissed at his friend and opened his eyes. Fred just bounced backwards and looked toward the bedroom door, then he barked. Harry wished he could snort as a cat, because it was clear the twin wanted to explore the manor.

He didn’t see the harm in showing Fred around. Besides he had been so excited to see his friend the night before that neither of them had eaten. He figured he could show him the kitchen first, then the biggest library, Fred would get a kick out of some of the books he’d seen when looking around, then he would drag the fox to Draco’s room and see if they could scare the blonde. 

The hallways were empty as they wandered to the kitchen. Fred, like Harry did when he first arrived, stuck his head into every open door they passed. None of the Death Eaters that saw them seemed surprised by the appearance of another animal. Harry wondered if there were wards that should have warned the dark wizards about animagus running around. And then he wondered if it was broken, since him and Fred were moving around freely. 

By the time they ended up in the kitchen Harry was practically pushing his friend from behind, Fred was just too damn curious. Fred froze at the door and Harry stuck his head around to see why. 

Both Lestrange brothers sat at the table, breakfast in front of them as they talked excitedly about something. 

Harry could feel how nervous Fred was all the sudden. He didn’t want his friend to be afraid, so he nudged him forward gently and then walked around him to meow at Bastan’s feet. The Death Eater looked down at him, smiled, and then got up to start searching for food. 

Harry meowed again, walking over to Fred and nipping him playfully in the ear. His friend squeaked and Harry could feel both men watching them. 

“Where’d that one come from?” Rod asked his brother. 

Bastan shrugged his shoulders, “Probably Barty.” 

Neither brother seemed over concerned about the random fox showing up in their hide out and Harry could tell this surprised the hell out of Fred as his friend looked at him and then back at the brother’s head titled as he seemed to ask,  _ “are they stupid?’ _

He snickered in a not so cat way, but neither brother seemed to take notice as Bastan put two plates of stew on the floor for them. 

Harry didn’t hesitate to dive in and only after a second of hesitation Fred copied him. 

His friend finished first, he tried to watch Fred as he ate, worried about what he redhead would get into. His worries were mostly unneeded as Fred just walked around the kitchen smelling and inspecting any and everything he could reach in his animal form. When he seemed to grow bored of cabinets he headed towards the Death Eaters,who ignored him completely, as the fox inspected them. 

When Fred started pawing at Bastan’s feet, Harry decided he was done eating and meowed at his friend. When the fox looked at him and winked, Harry started to worry. 

Before he could stop him, Fred barked at the man. Who startled and looked down at him, eyebrow raised. The fox barked again, his tail suddenly wagging behind him. 

Harry hissed at his friend which went ignored by everyone. 

Bastan reached down, ready to pick up Fred, however the fox jumped back and barked again. Harry saw the Death Eater’s eyes narrow before he reached again for Fred. Amused his friend let out an excited yip before dodging away from the man’s hands.

There was a snicker from Rod as he watched his brother trying and failing for a third time to catch the animal.

“Stupid animal.” Bastan growled out before he threw a piece of meat from his own breakfast at Fred. It hit the fox in the forehead and it was Harry’s turn to snicker. Harry saw Fred title his head to the side as he watched Bastan carefully. Not sure it was a good idea to let Fred plot revenge he ran over and tackled his friend. 

Fred yelped in surprise as they hit the floor. 

Then before he could retaliate Harry darted off, preying that Fred would follow him instead of staying behind and messing with Bastan anymore. 

He was halfway down the hallway when he heard Fred’s chasing behind him. He grinned and raced for Draco’s room. 

Thankfully the blonde door was open. Harry didn’t even think about it as he rushed into the room and jumped on Draco’s bed. The blonde who’d been reading jumped and was about to shout at Harry when Fred landed on the bed behind him. Harry looked behind him at his friend, meowed and then hid behind a very confused Draco. 

He tried not to laugh as Draco and Fred stared at each other. Draco clearly trying to figure out who the fox was and Fred probably trying to figure out why the hell Harry was hiding behind his rival. 

“Who the hell are you?” Draco finally asked, sounding frustrated. Fred let out a snort. Harry could practically hear what his friend was thinking.,which of course was how the hell was he supposed to answer that question? 

Draco seemed to realize the same thing because he turned his head and glared at Harry. 

He grinned as much as he could as a cat, which probably looked really weird. Draco sighed and pulled out his wand, waving it at his door. It slammed closed than Draco muttered something under his breath. A strange orange light came out of the blonde’s wand. It circled the room before expanding and covering the walls, a second later it shimmered and disappeared. 

“No one can sense you now.” The Slytherin said to Fred. 

Fred cocked his head, eyes searching the blonde before he looked at Harry, questioning him with just a look. Harry nodded his head. They could trust Draco. 

A second later Fred sat on the edge of Draco’s bed, looking intrigued.

“Impressive.” the red head muttered, as he reached behind Draco and reached for him.Harry squealed as he was picked up and placed into his friends lap. Fred’s fingers instantly running through his fur. 

“You brought a Weasley into my house!” Draco hissed, sounding pissed, then panic flickered across the blonde’s cae “have you lost your bloody mind?!” Harry snorted amused while Fred openly laughed. 

“This isn’t funny.” Draco snapped, “do you two idiots now what would happen if you’re caught?” The question was directed more to Fred than to Harry. 

His friend stopped laughing, “I know.” he said seriously, “but we wanted to check on our friend. George is making sure no one notices I’m missing and I’ve already been warned to be careful.” 

Draco didn’t look happy about it but his shoulders dropped and he let out a breath. Clearly resigned to what was going on, he looked down at Harry, “I’m not responsible if something happens to him.” Harry nodded his head and stretched his neck out enough that he was able to lick the blondes hand in thanks. Draco made an appalled noise but didn't pull his hand away. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's not beta read, so sorry about any mistakes.

He wasn’t hiding, not really, more like...avoiding. 

After all it was Christmas morning and he had no idea how to handle it. Normally he would be in the Gryffindor common room opening presents with Ron or anyone else unlucky enough to be stuck at the school over the holiday.

But that wasn’t going to happen not only because he was stuck in Malfoy Manor, or because he was a cat, but because Ron apparently wasn’t really his friend, and Dumbledore wanted him dead, which meant Harry would probably never return to Hogwarts. 

His stomach clenched and he laid his head down on his paws. 

He’d had 10 years of miserable Christmases and birthdays before he found out he was a wizard; he’d thought those days were behind him, instead it seemed things had in fact gotten worse. 

He could feel his eyes water, as he thought about how lonely he was and how badly he missed being human, at least then he could run off and do something, anything to forget what day it was and what he had lost. 

He shook his head; he wasn’t really alone. He knew that. Fred had scratched and whined at Severus when the potion master had come to collect him the night before. His friend wanted to stay with him. However, Severus had growled at Fred and told him that it was impossible for George to fake being both of them on Christmas. There was no way Molly and Arthur wouldn’t notice just one twin hanging around. 

Harry had nudged Fred’s cheek with his nose, telling his friend that it was okay. Fred had whined and licked Harry’s nose before relaxing and letting Severus carry him off.

Draco had wandered in not long after and spent the rest of the night spelling balls and string around the room, to distract him. 

He’d been grateful for the distraction, at least until this morning when he woke up cuddled next to the blonde, with Lucius sneaking into the room a box under his arm. The man had noticed Harry watching him and smiled at him, a soft happy smile, before he reached down and shook his son awake. 

Both blondes seem to forget him as Draco opened the gift. 

Not wanting to watch the happy moment Harry had jumped off the bed and ran until he found a small dark place to hide. 

Which is how he ended up here. 

He didn’t know how long he’d been under the couch. But the house had gotten noisy as the people inside woke up and started celebrating and laughing.

So far, the only people to come into the library had been Bella and Barty. Bella had snuck in and took a small box out from behind a box, laughed loudly and then rushed out of the room. Harry had no idea what that was about, had sunk further under the couch hoping the crazy woman wouldn’t see him. 

Barty had come in shortly after. The dirty blonde Death Eater was mumbling about stupid games and the Lestrange’s, he too started digging behind some of the books, before finding a box of his own. The man had opened it and pulled out a thin silver metal chain. Whatever it was, Barty seemed happy with it as he grinned brightly and put it back in the box, before wandering out of the library. 

Despite the random guests, Harry was happy with his hiding spot. Or he was until his stomach reminded him that he had yet to eat and he was hungry.

He ignored it. He’d gone hungry before. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. 

Laying with his head on his paws, he tried to think of something other than Christmas and food. 

It wasn’t that hard. 

He thought about his situation. 

He knew Severus and the twins were close to turning him back human. He was grateful and couldn't wait...except for the fact, he had no idea what to do after. 

He couldn’t return home. His relatives would just send him back to Hogwarts to get rid of him. Which put him back in the hands of Dumbledore, who wanted him dead.

He wouldn’t be able to stay at the Manor. Despite how Barty, Severus, and surprisingly Lucius had reacted to finding out who he was, he doubted he would be safe,  _ feel safe _ , here once all the others knew who he was. 

Sure, Voldemort had said he didn’t want him dead anymore, but Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about  _ that. _ The man had seemed genuine about his belief that it was the truth and that Harry wouldn’t believe him. Which led Harry to wanting to believe him, but years of having the man out to kill him, made it hard. 

His stomach growled. Harry hissed at it, wanting it to shut up. 

Maybe he could stay with the twins. He knew they would offer. Fred and George always wanted to help him. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to put them in the middle of all this. Fred already had risked so much, coming into the Manor to see him. 

Harry had been so happy to see his friend, that he let himself play and have fun. But there was always the nagging feeling in the back of his mind about what could happen if someone, other than Draco and Severus found out about Fred. He was almost relieved when Severus had carried the fox off. Not because he wanted to be alone but because Fred was no longer in danger. 

He sighed. 

Going back to the Dursleys was out, so was Hogwarts, Sirius, the Twins, or staying here.

He was almost tempted to just stay this way. At least as a cat he was safe. 

His stomach growled again and again he hissed at it. 

“What are you doing?” 

Harry jumped, hitting his head on the top of the couch, before hissing at the man in front of him. 

Somehow, he had missed Bastan coming in, now the man was on his knees, his head almost on the floor as he looked under the couch. 

“You have any idea how insane Draco is going looking for you?” the man asked, reaching his hand out to grab him. Harry thought about growling and clawing at the man’s hand. But if Draco was looking for him, then all it would do was buy him a couple minutes for the man to tell the blonde where he was. 

The man was gentle as he wrapped a hand around the back of Harry’s neck and pulled him out from under the couch. 

Bastan pulled Harry close against his chest and started petting him on the top of his head. Harry let himself take comfort in it, dropping his head on the man’s arm he closed his eyes. He didn’t sleep, just relaxed. 

Then he groaned as his stomach made itself heard, again. The Death Eater holding him chuckled, “Seems someone missed more than just lunch.” 

_ Lunch? _ Fuck, no wonder he was hungry. He’d skipped both breakfast and lunch. 

They ended up in the main gathering room. The normally dreary and cold room was cheerful as bright as candles and ribbons now decorated the room.

Instead of a Christmas tree like he would have seen at his relative’s house, he saw three couches all facing a lit fireplace. He almost couldn’t look away from the flames, as they burned brilliant purple and gold. He’d never seen anything like it before and he found it beautiful. 

Bastan wasted no time, walking into the room and dropping Harry into Draco’s waiting arms. The blonde let out a relieved breath and shifted Harry until he could lay on his lap. 

It was only then that Harry noticed that unlike the adults, apart from Barty, Draco was seated on the floor, his back resting against the couch, next to his father’s legs, across from him Barty was in a similar position at Voldemort’s. 

It seemed odd to him, Draco sitting on the floor when surrounded by his family, and the Dark Lord, yet no one else seemed to find it out of place. Harry knew that the Malfoy’s were as uptight as he had originally thought, but still, Draco looked perfectly comfortable sitting on the stone floor, in fact so did Barty. Harry shook his head, he was never going to understand these people.

The group, or family as Harry knew that's how they saw each other, was talking and laughing with each other, and despite how lonely it made Harry feel. He found he wasn’t as bothered by it as he thought he would have been. Draco’s fingers soon found their way into Harry’s fur, and Harry felt himself melt. 

He’d almost forgotten he was hungry until his stomach grumbled unhappy. Bastan of course laughed again, causing his brother to smack him upside the head. Draco ignored the brothers and called for a house elf, ordering the small creature to bring something for Harry to eat. 

When the elf returned with a bowl of tuna, Harry licked the blonde’s hand in thanks. Draco made a disgusted noise and shifted his hand away from Harry. In a better mood than he had been while hiding under the couch, Harry found himself feeling playful, so he stretched out his neck and licked the hand again. The hand was ripped away from him and held up where he could reach. 

When he turned his head to look at the Slytherin, he found the blonde glaring at him. Harry stuck his tongue out, and then crawled off Draco’s lap. He quickly devoured the small bowl of tuna, while the others started unwrapping gifts. When he turned to head back to Draco, he noticed a small pile set off to the side. Not sure why the blonde would wait to open them, Harry walked over and started investigating them. 

Only when he did, he found names tags that said, kitty, kitten, Mischief, and brat. He let out a confused whine. Instead of Draco, it was Barty that appeared at his side. The man picked him up and then sat down next to the pile of presents. 

Confused Harry watched as Barty opened a large box shaped one. Inside was an insane amount of green yarn. Not just one shade of green either, but a variety of colors from dark forest to an almost fluorescent. Barty snorted and pulled one bundle out of the box and waved it in front of Harry. 

“What do you think, kitty, green your color?” Harry was too lost in the realization that they had bought him gifts, to respond.

He couldn’t believe they had gotten him presents.

His own family hadn’t ever gotten him anything, the only people who ever sent him anything for Christmas (or his birthday) were the Weasleys, and now he wasn’t sure about the intentions behind those anymore, except for the twins. 

For some reasons, these people, these  _ dark wizards _ , Death Eaters, his supposed enemies, whatever the hell other’s wanted to call them, had gotten him gifts. He was a bloody cat, and they still took the time to find something for him. 

“Kitty?” Barty whispered.

Harry stopped staring at the yarn. He turned to look at the man, who looked worried. Not wanting anyone to notice the awkward moment, Harry meowed and jumped into the box, knocking it out of Barty’s hands and onto the floor. He barely felt the impact, thanks to the soft, fuzzy yarn he was now covered in. 

He heard laughter from the others in the room, and wiggled and fought his way free enough to stick his head out of his box. Barty was still seated where he had been, thankfully instead of the worried look he’d had a second ago, the man was grinning and laughing. As where the others in the room. 

Harry would have blushed if he’d been human, instead he dropped back into his box and hid amongst the yarn. 

It took several minutes for the laughter to die off and then Harry’s box was flipped on his side and he rolled out onto the floor. Barty smiling down at him, “Not done yet kitty.” the man teased before picking him up and placing him back on his lap. 

Somehow Harry spent the next half hour, watching Draco and Barty open  _ his  _ gifts. The two seemed to be having the time of their lives opening the presents, showing them to Harry, who tried to play with more than one. The only one he had hissed at was Severus’s, who had bought him a bright red collar, a gold tag with the name  _ Brat _ etched into it. 

He’d glared at it. He might have found it funny. The color chosen and the name. He after all had gotten to know the man well enough to know it was a joke, but both Malfoys’ looked far too amused. And that had made him nervous. Which turned out to be the right response because Lucious quickly started that they should put it on him, to which Draco had no issues with attempting to do so.

Harry had whined and growled at his friend, not wanting to wear the collar. But it did nothing to stop the stupid Slytherin. And unfortunately, Harry soon found himself collared. Thankfully the red leather was ridiculously soft and it must have been charmed because it was light weight and he only truly noticed it when he moved and the tag clinked.

Despite not hating it, Harry promised himself he would get back at the potions master as soon as possible. 

Later that night, he was sprawled out on Draco’s bed, while the other teen was off with his parents, when Severus entered the room, an excited fox in his arms. 

Harry jumped up happy to see his friend again. He rushed to the end of the bed, ready to lunge at Fred, when the smell instead of mint he caught the scent of fresh rain hit him. 

_ George!  _


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friends response to reading this, "Omg I want all these gift," and "holy fuck it was emotional." Let me know what you guys think :)

**Severus**

He watched as Harry and George greeted each other. It was less hectic than when Harry and Fred had first seen each other, for which he was grateful. The two young men seemed to be enjoying themselves. He didn’t want to ruin their moment, but he only had some much time before the Headmaster would notice his absence. He cleared his throat, both animals looked at him. 

“We have one last thing to do tonight before you two are free to terrorize the rest of the Manor,” he said. The fox snickered, in a way that sounded almost human, causing chills to roll up Severus’s spine. He sent Weasley a glare before scooping up both animals and walking out of his room. 

It was stupid, what they had planned. Draco and Fred had come to him two nights ago and asked, no,  _ begged _ to know if it was possible. He had told them no, without even thinking about it. What they wanted was too dangerous, not with their Lord in the Manor. He thought that was the end of it. 

Until late last night after he had taken Fred home. He’d been coming back inside the Manor and was pulled aside by Bartemius, Lucius standing behind the smaller blonde with a frustrated look on his face. 

He should have known Draco wouldn’t let it go. His godson was too stubborn, too used to getting what he wanted to listen to a  _ no _ . The little brat had gone, not to his father, but Barty, knowing the man was the most likely to agree to his idiotic plan. And of course, Barty had gone to Lucius for help. 

In the end, he couldn’t refuse to help. Though he did make it very clear that he thought this was a bad idea and that if they got caught Lucius was taking all the blame. His friend had just raised an unimpressed eyebrow as if he thought that Severus was overreacting. 

As he knocked on Bartemius’s bedroom door, he silently prayed that the others were right and that this wasn’t going to backfire. 

  
  


**Harry**

_ What could they possibly have left to do? _ He wondered as Severus carried him and George down a familiar hallway. He had already opened gifts, which were now tucked away in Draco’s room. He’d already eaten dinner, _ twice, _ because he could. And now he had George to hang out with. He had no idea what the man could possibly think there was left to do, but Harry was in a great mood, so he didn’t question it. 

Which maybe wasn’t his best idea. 

Because soon enough he found himself being let into Barty’s bedroom. The man all but jumping up and down as he opened the door and greeted them. With his attention mostly on Barty, he almost missed the fact that Draco and his father were seated on a large couch that had never been in the room before. When he did notice them he looked over at Draco, head tilted to the side, silently asking his friend,  _ What the hell was going on?  _

To his annoyance, the blonde just winked at him. Harry hissed at him. Which got a snort, but not from the blonde. Harry followed the noise back to Barty’s bed, then he spun his head around to make sure that George was still in Severus’s arms with him because  _ he couldn’t be seeing what he thought he was seeing!  _

The fox, when their eyes met, made a chuckling sound and Harry quickly looked back at the bed. 

By now Fred was laughing as he lounged back on Barty’s bed. 

Heart racing, Harry looked towards Lucius and Barty, neither man looked surprised, which he guessed made sense since Fred was in his human form laying on Barty's fucking bed. 

_ Seriously what the hell were the twins thinking?  _ This was a ridiculous risky and stupid idea, he turned his head and hissed at Severus.  _ The man should have stopped this!  _

The man glared back at him, “you think this was my idea?” he asked, looking appalled, “because I assure you, Harry, I tried everything to stop this foolishness. But I was outvoted.” Surprised Harry watched as Severus sent a dirty look at Lucius, the blonde just smirked.

Completely bewildered, Harry looked to Draco for an explanation. 

“Did you really think we wouldn’t find a way to celebrate Christmas with you?” his friend asked, smiling at him. 

Which did nothing to help Harry understand, because hadn’t they already celebrated Christmas? He’d even gotten gifts. 

“Harry,” Fred said softly, as he suddenly appeared at Severus’s side, “as amusing as it is that a bunch of Death Eaters got you  _ cat _ presents, you can’t possibly believe that's all your getting?” 

Conflicted, because that was in fact what he thought, Harry dropped his head.

He heard someone sigh before his head was tilted up towards Fred, “If I ever met your relatives, I’m going to skin them,” his friend hissed angrily. Harry prayed the comment had been uttered quiet enough none of the others heard. He didn’t need the potentially lethal Death Eaters asking questions and his abusive relatives. He just didn’t see that ending well at all. 

Fred’s face switched from pissed to happy in a second, “Now,” the redhead said grinning, “we’re going to go into Barty’s bathroom, and you are going to eat this,” he waved one of the Canary Creams that had turned him human in front of his face, “and then we are going to have some fun.” 

He didn’t even get to respond before he was pulled from Severus’s arms. Fred kissed the top of his head before tucking him close and walking toward Barty’s bathroom. 

_At least this planned seemed to be well thought out,_ he thought as they entered and he saw there was a big pile of blankets on the bathroom floor, which he was gently set down on. 

“Snape, says that you were a little disoriented at first last time, so we put these down just in case.” George’s voice surprised him as he hadn’t heard the other twin follow them in, or seen him shift human. 

He nodded his head because that was one word for what he had experienced last time. Some of his panic about what was happening washed away as he realized that he was going to get to be human again, even if it was only for an hour or so. 

It felt easier this time. Eating the candy, having his body forcefully shift back into a human, and adjusting to being human again. 

“You okay?” The twins asked together, they knelt on either side of him, George’s fingers running through his hair. He wondered if it was a habit from when he was a cat. Then shook his head to clear away the stupid. George hadn’t spent enough time around  _ cat  _ him for there to be a habit, maybe it was just something George liked to do. Either way, he liked it so he didn’t tell his friend to stop. 

He smiled up at his friends, “thank you.” he said before pulling them into a hug one right after the other. 

They somehow ended up in a three-way hug that had Harry clingy to one of the redheads as tightly as he could while he cried into his friend’s shoulder. 

If asked he couldn’t tell anyone exactly what he was crying over. But it seemed in that moment, being human again and having two people he trusted above any others hold him, was so comforting and safe that a dam broke inside him and he stopped trying to hold himself together. 

He didn’t know how long they stood there holding each other, but eventually, they were broken apart by a knock on the bathroom door. 

“If you three are done with your little reunion, we would like to get this party going.” Severus snarked through the door, causing all three of them to chuckle. They broke apart and Fred handed Harry a change of clothes as George muttered a series of cleaning and freshening charms over him. 

He wished he could have showered but understood that they didn’t have much time. He changed quickly and then let the twins drag him out of the bathroom. 

None of the others looked like they knew he had just been crying, for which he was grateful.

He turned to look at Draco, a habit he had grown into since the blonde had been home. Only to freeze. He was human now, at least for the next hour or so, did that change things. He knew Draco and he had developed a strange friendship while he was a cat, but what happened now. 

“Oh bloody hell,” Draco muttered before he stood up and crossed the room. Harry tensed as the other boy approached not sure what was about to happen, he let out a surprised gasp when he was pulled into another hug, “you’re overthinking things, idiot,” the blond whispered into his ear, and Harry’s whole body relaxed as he hugged his friend back. 

“My turn!” The shout surprised them both enough that they jumped apart, then Harry was hugging Barty. The excitement and strangeness of the whole thing had him bursting out into laughter as he returned the hug. It felt good. Harry found himself not even bothered by the fact he was hugging a man that tried to have him killed last year. 

After a second, Barty pulled away, grinned at him, and shoved a large box into his hands. It was wrapped in gold paper and tied with a red ribbon, he chuckled as he untied the ribbon and then ripped apart the paper.

When he opened the box, he had to look back up at the Death Eater to make sure this was meant for him. The man must have understood his look because he nodded his head still grinning happily. 

The black and silver fur blanket was almost the exact same as a smaller one that sat on the end of Barty’s bed. Harry had found it in the first few days he had been stuck as a cat and accidentally fell asleep on it. With the blankets warm and soft fur it quickly became one of his favorite places to nap. 

“Thank you,” he said to the Death Eater as he folded the blanket back up and returned it to its box. 

“Now maybe you’ll stop stealing mine.” the man muttered but he was smiling and Harry knew for a fact Barty didn’t mind him using his. 

“Now ours!” The twins said excitedly pushing some kind of crate like box at him. 

Harry hesitated, looking up at the twins. He was hoping he would be able to tell if opening this was a bad idea or not. He’d like to think they wouldn’t prank him, at least not on Christmas, but this was the twins and well crates like this normally made him think of living breathing things. Unfortunately, both twins just smiled bigger at him and waited. Which told him nothing about what potentially dangerous thing could be inside the crate. 

Carefully he pulled open the top of the crate and froze. At first, he thought the insane twins got him a whomping willow, like a tiny version of it. The tiny tree’s branches were moving around, almost like they were swaying in the wind and they froze in place when he let out a gasp. But as he was looking at the tree he noticed buried amongst its deep green leaves was some kind of berries, something that the willow didn’t have. He gave the twins a questioning look. 

They laughed. 

“It was an experiment,” Fred started, “we wanted to make something Hogwarts students could have in the dorms. You know, for snacks in the middle of the night. Cause teenagers are always almost hungry, and few are lucky enough to know where the kitchens are. Then we decided that the dorms could use a little living up. So we ummm,” the redhead looked at his brother, who grinned. 

“We used the whomping willow for inspiration, this little guy was supposed to smack anyone who tried to take  _ his  _ berries, any but his owner anyways,” the redhead shrugged, and somehow Harry didn’t think that was all the little tree did, he raised an eyebrow at George, who sighed and mumbled, “okay maybe just  _ maybe _ it was supposed to chuck fruit at students while they were sleeping.” 

Several people in the room chuckled or laughed. 

“But?” Draco asked before Harry could. 

Both twins frowned, “it’s nice,” they whined together, wrapping their arms around each other, letting out a dramatic sob.

Harry burst out laughing. 

As the twins continued to fake cry against each other, Harry reached into the crate and carefully pulled out the tree. It wrapped a couple of branches around his wrists as if holding on and when he set it on the floor, it let him go. 

Curious he reached forward and plucked one of the red berries. Praying the twins didn’t have any surprises hidden in the small fruit he popped it into his mouth and almost moaned out loud. It was chocolatey with just a hint of maybe strawberry? When nothing happened he plucked a couple more and handed one to Draco and one to the blonde's father knowing they would both like them. Both blondes seemed to hesitate but then Draco shrugged and ate the berry.

Harry tried not to laugh at the surprised yet pleased face his friend made. 

He had been so focused on Draco he missed Lucius eating the berry but a few seconds later, the man spoke, “could you make more of those?” he asked politely looking at the two redheads when the twins looked at him shocked, Harry swore the man wanted to roll his eyes. 

“My wife would very much enjoy one, as would I’m sure Draco.” the man gave a pointed look, and everyone turned to see Draco stealing another berry from the small tree. 

Harry shouted “Hey!” before lunging to smack his friend’s hands away from his new plant. Draco just smirked and tossed one of the berries he had already taken into his mouth. Harry glared at him, before picking up his little tree and turning to place it behind him. The only person behind him was Severus. He didn’t think the potion master would steal any of the berries. 

It took a second for everyone to stop laughing and then Harry was handed a package from Lucius. It was soft and kinda squishy. Truthfully he had no idea what the elder Malfoy would give him. 

He was a little confused when he opened it and found a dark grey and black sweater. He pulled it out and found it was thick cotton and when he put it on it was long enough to cover his knees. While he may not have understood the odd gift, he was in heaven. It was  _ so _ soft and warm and he couldn’t help but wrap it around himself as he sat back down. 

Lucius chuckled softly, “my wife does the same thing.” Harry blushed feeling embarrassed, “she always says there is nothing better than a warm sweater and a good book,” the man reached behind him and pulled at a leather book. The cover was a little worn and Draco let out a strange gasp when he saw it. The book was held out to him and Harry took it. 

“Myths and Legends for Wizarding Children,” he read the title out loud, giving the Death Eater a slightly confused look. 

The man smiled, “it was Draco’s favorite as a child. I know you did not grow up in our world and thought you might like to read them.” Harry found himself nodding his head as he ran his hand over the cover of the book. 

“Thank you,” he whispered to the man, not able to look up. He didn’t want anyone to see he was close to crying. This gift felt personal, despite its simplicity. It made him wonder if his parents would have read or told him stories like the ones he would find inside. He felt someone slide onto the floor next to him and smiled when Fred wrapped an arm around him, the redhead resting his chin on Harry’s shoulder. 

They stayed like that. 

Next Draco, who looked embarrassed, handed him his gift. The box was small and fit easily into his hand, Harry grinned at his friend as he pulled apart the green wrapping paper. Then he opened the small box. Inside was a bracelet. Harry pulled it out and felt the smooth silver metal hummed under his fingers. The band was only about an inch or so thick but all along it were tiny dragons flying around. With magic’s help, their wings and heads moved, and as Harry watched one of the dragons blew a dark gray smoke cloud out that faded almost instantly. 

“It’s got some protection charms on it,” Draco said suddenly and Harry’s head snapped up. He hadn’t realized he was zoning out while watching the dragons move around.

“It’s awesome.” He said reaching up to pull Draco down and into a hug, The blonde squeaked but returned the hug. Then he pulled himself away, straightened his clothes, and returned to sitting by his father. Harry tried not to laugh as he heard Fred snort in his ear. He hit the redhead’s knee, silently telling him to be nice. 

He put the bracelet back in its box and placed it on top of the one from Barty. The room fell silent for a moment and Harry wondered if they were done with the gift-giving. It made him feel bad that he hadn’t gotten anyone anything. Not that he could have, but still it felt strange for them to be giving him such nice and meaningful gifts while he couldn’t give them anything in return. 

“Oooooh,” Fred and George drew out the word, “we got one!” they said and George made a show of digging around into his robe and pant’s pockets before he pulled out a blue box. He grinned at Harry as he tossed it to him. 

Harry caught it easily enough and then looked at George in surprise. 

George just shrugged and he felt Fred snicker. 

Harry looked down at the box, trying to understand how he felt about it. He hadn’t known the twins had told their brothers about him. But from the sticker on the top, “From Bill & Charlie” it was clear they had. He trusted the twins so he knew if the two older Weasley were giving him a gift, they were on his side. 

Not wanting to take forever, he unwrapped and opened the small box. 

Inside were two black dragons. They were kinda small, longish, maybe even a little delicate, and truthfully Harry didn’t know what they were for. 

Someone let out an exaggerated sigh, Harry looked up to see it had been Draco. 

“They’re earrings Potter.” his friend said with a slow eye roll. Harry rolled his own eyes and picked up one of the Dragons. Of course, Draco had been right. At the base of its tail, there was a piece of an earring that went into one's ear. 

Harry had no idea how one was supposed to wear the damn thing. His relatives had refused to allow him or Dudley to get their ears pierced when Dudley had demanded it after a friend of his had gotten one. His aunt had thrown a fit and forbade him from hanging out with that friend ever again. That of course only lasted a day before Dudley had screamed, cried, and begged his way back into the friendship. While she had caved on the friend she stood her ground about the piercing. 

Harry hadn’t been too disappointed, he hadn’t ever thought about getting his ears piece. Only agreed and asked because Dudley threatened him. Sure he had thought Charlie’s was awesome but hadn’t wanted one of his own. Meaning he never paid attention to other’s earrings, girls or boys. 

He turned his head to Fred and handed the older boy the earring. Fred, who had copied his older brother and had gotten how own ears pierced, quickly shifted so he could take the earring. Then with ease, he took the back off and stuck the metal bit onto his ear. He twisted the long dragon around until the dragon itself looked like it was crawling up his ear, it’s head laying so it hung over the top of Fred’s ear. Then he turned his head to show off the earring to the rest of the room. 

George, Barty, and Draco chuckled, but Harry found himself reaching out to trace the earring. It looked wicked wrapped around Fred’s ear and Harry couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like on him. 

“We can worry about piercing your ears later, Harry,” Severus muttered sarcastically from behind him. Harry jumped, he’d forgotten the silent man was there. With a nod of his head, Harry went to close the box. But saw a small piece of paper folded up under the second earring. He pulled the earring out, tossed it to George, figuring the twin would like to wear it for a little and grabbed the paper. 

_ Harry, _

_ Not sure if you have your ears pierced, sorry about that. If you don’t it’s okay. Take the earring and say,  _ **_mutatio,_ ** _ it will cause the earring piece to disappear and then say, _ **_activus._ ** _ It will activate the dragon to move and wrap itself around your ear. No holes needed!  _

_ Now for the best part. These little guys are spelled to talk to each other. Bill calls them secret whisperers. They aren't perfect and can only do short sentences but if you wear one and give another to a friend, you can whisper back and forth and no one else will ever know! _

_ Hope you like them,  _

_ Charlie.  _

  
  


_ Harry, _

_ What my idiot brother forgot to tell you is the dragons are also charmed with Notice-me-not, repealing, and protective charms. Once on, no one but those aware of the earrings will be able to see them. Even those won't be able to hear what the dragons say. That charm is for the two people wearing them only.  _

_ The repealing charm is based on one that keeps muggles from seeing or coming near wizarding places. I’ve tweaked it enough that it will keep wizards and muggles alike from noticing or picking up the dragons. That way if you leave one sitting out somewhere no one will be able to steal them. It will leave anyone who tries sick to their stomach and possibly with a headache. _

_ Because of their size, the protective charms aren’t much but if there is a spell, potion, or person with ill intentions around you (or whoever is wearing them), they'll warm up, and if it's dangerous enough the dragon's claws will scratch your ear. Not enough to hurt you, but they will get your attention.  _

_ Also, Charlie won’t admit it, but he designed and formed these himself.  _

_ I’m sorry for what is happening to you. Just know that you have us when you need us.  _

_ Happy Christmas, _

_ Bill _

  
  


_ Holy crap,  _ he thought, as he clenched his fingers around the piece of paper and looked at Fred. The older boy gave him a confused look. Harry was excited to see if the earrings worked. He leaned in and whispered, “tell the dragon, George’s sweater is ugly.” 

Fred snickered and whispered exactly that to the small black dragon. It took less than a second for George to squeak out in surprise and fall of the bed he had been sitting on the edge, 

“The hell?” the redhead whispered from the floor. 

Harry started laughing, handing the note to the first person who reached for it. 

Turns out it was Severus, who after reading it glared at every student in the room, “These will not be worn inside my classroom, is that understood?” They all nodded, even Draco who clearly had no idea why not. 

The blond snatched the paper from the potion master’s hand. Once he read it, he handed it off to Barty, before walking over to George and stealing the one  _ that _ redhead had. 

The room fell into chaos once Barty had read about the earrings and demanded to try one. Pretty soon everyone except for Severus and Lucius was trying on the earrings and whispering back and forth to each other. Harry was having so much fun that he hadn’t noticed he was digging his nails into arms until Severus smacked his hand away. 

He looked down and noticed he had scratched ugly red marks into his skin. 

He frowned. 

The potion that made him human was wearing off. 

Suddenly his good mood was gone. 

Severus gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before he pulled out his wand, with a flick everyone was quiet. 

“Times running out,” Severus said with a look at Harry, who covered his irritated skin with his hand. 

“I do believe Severus,” Lucius said breaking the awkward silence the room had fallen into, “it is your turn.” 

Harry looked at the potion master, who had gone a little pale. The dark-haired man reached into his robe and pulled something out. The man looked at whatever was in his hand before he seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts. Then surprising everyone in the room, he knelt down in front of Harry. 

“As you know. Your mother was my best friend.” Harry found himself nodding even if he didn’t think it was necessary. “In our 15th summer, we spent a fair amount of time in muggle London. One day, we came across a jewelry shop. Where Lily found a ring in the window, she swore was made just for her. She was so excited that she ran into the store, startling the man working there.” the man smiled at the memory, “After trying on the ring and falling in love with it, she found out she didn’t have enough money saved up to buy it. I offered at the time to help, but she refused. She was stubborn and didn’t want to take my money from me.” Severus let out a slow breath, looking at Harry to explain, “she knew how hard it was for me to save up money. She didn’t want to take what I did have away from me in case I needed it.” he shook his head and muttered, almost like he was talking to himself, “she was so heartbroken leaving it behind.” 

The potion master stopped for a second, seemingly gathering his thoughts before he smiled at Harry and continued his story, “It took me a month to earn the entire amount needed to purchase the ring. The whole time I worried that it would have been sold off before I saved up enough. Thankfully, when I went back it was still there.” his smile fell, “I had bought it thinking of giving it to her for Christmas. But life that year seemed to be doing its best to break our friendship apart. We fought and in a fit of anger Lily went home for the holidays. I wasn’t able to give it to her until her birthday, two months later.” Severus hesitated, before looking down and away from Harry, “It was the last gift I ever gave her.” the man said and Harry felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

Severus reached out and took his hand, Harry opened it and watched as a single silver ring was dropped into his hand. It was a silver band with tiny pink lilies etched into it, well pink except for one bright red one. 

“She wore it on her thumb,” the potion master said softly, “even after we stopped talking, she continued to wear it. It always gave me hope that we would one day be able to fix things between us.” 

Harry ran his finger over the red lily. 

Severus snorted when he noticed where Harry’s attention was, “Your father and Black played a prank. Potter wanted to turn all the Lilies red, told your mother it was so she would be reminded of him whenever she wore it.” Harry could hear some amusement in the older man’s voice, “However, the spell misfired and only one lily changed. Your mother liked it. Said it fit your father perfectly, she decided to keep it that way.” 

Harry heard the words, even registered them. But his mind kept going over the fact that he was holding something of his mothers. He didn’t have much to remember his parents by, his father’s cloak, Hagrid’s album, and the Marauder's map. This was the first time he had ever had anything that had belonged to his mom instead of his father. 

“Harry,” Severus said softly, pulling his attention away from the ring. When he looked up the man was holding a thin silver chain, hanging from it were two more rings. 

“What are those?” he asked, as he slipped his mother’s ring onto his middle finger. 

The potion master got that pale look again, and his hand shook a little as Harry took the chain away from him to look at it and the rings over. 

“These are your parent’s wedding rings.” The man said, quietly. Harry couldn’t stop the surprised gasp that came out.  _ Their wedding rings? How? _ He’d been told that everything his parents had, had been destroyed in Voldemort’s attack. The only reason he had gotten the cloak or map was because they hadn’t been at Godric’s Hollow that night. 

A burst of irritation and tingling spread through his arms and Harry almost dropped his parent’s rings in surprise. __

_ No,  _ he thought,  _ please not yet.  _

“I thought they were gone? Destroyed? The headmaster said everything was gone.” he rambled in a rush, suddenly very aware that his time was running out. 

“No.” The man replied coldly, “when the battle was over, the wizarding world went a little mad celebrating the Dark Lord’s defeat. Godric’s Hollow after your parent’s bodies had been removed and been felt alone. The only attention it got from the Ministry was the desire to make it into a monument.” The man growled out,  _ monument _ like it was the foulest word he’d ever heard, “I snuck in a few days after, I just wanted something to remember your mother by.” Severus let out a long breath, “the cottage was a mess, broken and upturned furniture, to this day I do not know if it was from the fight or from people rummaging through their things.” Severus sounded angry at the very thought of other people going through the Potter’s things, and Harry understood it. He felt the same way, how could people do that to people that called friends? 

“I ended up in your parent’s room where I found your mother’s jewelry box.” The words pulled him out of his upsetting thoughts. “I had hoped for just the ring I had given her, but inside I found her wedding ring next to it.” 

Harry’s chin was forced up, he hadn’t noticed when his attention had drifted from the man and to the rings in his hands, nor had he felt Severus’ fingers touch him until his chin was being moved. The man gave him a small smile, “I found myself unable to leave either ring. Then as I was leaving the room, I noticed your father’s band on the nightstand. I knew without a doubt Lily would never have forgiven me if I had taken hers and not his, not when I had already decided to give it to you someday.”

Harry had so many questions.  _ Why had the headmaster told him they were gone when he had asked about them in his first year? How could they have been inside the cottage? Why weren’t his parents wearing them? _ He opened his mouth to try and voice them, but pain hit him in the stomach so strange he doubled over. 

He cried out in pain. 

Arms wrapped around him from both sides, “shhh” one of the twins whispered, “We got you.” the other said. They held him for a few moments until the pain died down, a little. 

“Harry, you don’t have long. I know you have questions,” Severus said from where he still knelt in front of him, Harry didn’t look away from the chest he was pressing his face against. “But the twins have a couple more gifts for you. We need to hurry.” Harry nodded, and pushed George away enough he could look around the room. 

Draco looked pale and must have risen to his feet at some point to come over to help him, but the teen’s father had grabbed his wrist to stop him. Lucius himself was giving Harry a sad look that had him looking away as fast as he could. Barty who had been frowning was the first to move. 

“Let’s get him on the bed.” the Death Eater suggested to the twins. Who didn’t hesitate, they found their feet and pulled Harry to his. They half dragged half carried him to the bed where they sat him back against the headboard, both then tucked themselves against his sides. Then without any kind of warning, Fred pulled out a small mirror and held it in front of Harry. 

Before he could say something about how he did not want to know what a disaster he looked like right now, George muttered Sirius's name and the mirror came alive. 

Harry found himself looking at his Godfather’s grinning face, Remus squished in next to him. 

“HARRY!” Sirius shouted, the second the older man saw him. Remus’s greeting was quieter but just as happy. Harry almost sobbed at the happiness that shot through him when he saw them. “Sirius! Remus!” he cried out, “How are you guys? Are you safe?” 

Remus chuckled, “only you would ask us if we are okay, cub, when you are the only that’s been through hell.” Harry’s cheeks reddened a little. 

“Are you okay, pup? How’s it hanging out with my cousin? She’s scary huh? And I’m not talking about Bella.” the man barked out a laugh at the affronted noise Draco let out. Harry didn’t know that Draco’s mom and Sirius were related. He’d have to ask about that later when he had time. 

“I’m good,” he said, neither man looked like they believed him. Forcing himself to smile, he tried to ignore the sadness and longing he felt, also the itching and tingly that was spreading through him. 

“I got presents!” he shouted out suddenly, startling those around him. Instead of the smiles, he was hoping for, both men frowned and Remus opened his mouth to say something, not wanting to let the wolf ask Harry started rambling about what he got from everyone, including the cat toys he’d gotten from the Death Eaters. 

The distraction seemed to work as Sirius and Remus started smiling and joking about the gifts with him. They only got to talk for a few more minutes before the tingly got so bad, Harry was having a hard time holding the mirror. He tried to ignore it. Tried to push past the uncomfortable pain that started to wash over him in waves. He didn’t want to stop talking to his Godfather or Moony, he’d missed them so much. He just wanted a little more time.

“Harry.” someone in the room said gently. He shook his head and started to ask Siri about what he was doing about proving his innocence. 

He didn’t hear the answer as he was to bust winching from the pain as it intensified. 

“Harry.” A different softer voice said. He felt the bed dip as whoever it was sat down at his feet. Again he shook his head, his vision blurring from both tears and the potion wearing off. 

A hand touched his leg and he looked up at Draco as the blond rubbed his leg up and down trying to comfort him. 

“No!” He shouted, it came out wrong as his vocal cords started to shift, “I don’t want to!” Pain surged through him and Harry found himself pulling free of his friends as he tried to tuck himself into a ball.

“I’m not--ready.” He hissed out through clenched teeth, the words hurt to say, it was like he’d swallowed glass and every word he said ripped and tore as he forced it out. He was sweating and shaking, and it hurt worse than the other times he’d been forced to change.

“Pup! Stop!” his godfather shouted from the mirror. The man’s fear and panic breaking through some of Harry’s despair and pain. One of the twins held up the mirror and Harry saw Sirius and Remus horrified faces, both men on the brink of tears. 

“You have to stop fighting the change kiddo,” Sirius said when he saw Harry was paying attention to him. Harry shook his head no. 

His godfather sighed, “Harry, Snape is close to figuring out a counter, you just have to hang on a little while longer. Can you do that?” He wanted to say no. That he was sick of being a cat. Sick of feeling trapped all the time. Instead, he nodded his head and watched as relief flooded through the two men in the mirror. 

“It’ll be okay Harry.” Remus said, Sirius, nodded his head in agreement, then added, “We love you, kiddo.” 

He tried to relax, to stop fighting the change but it felt impossible, not after admitting that he didn’t want to change again. He felt the twins move closer, both wrapping their arms around him. He even felt Draco shift so he was as close as he could get. The support of his friends helped and eventually, he felt a quick blast of uncomfortableness before his body changed and he passed out. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got Grammarly as an early Christmas gift from my mom, haha. She bought for my novel I'm working on, but I mean its great for fanfictions too. This is the first chapter I've used it on. It seemed to catch a lot of comma mistakes haha.

**_Lucius_ **

Lucius wasn’t one to allow emotion to rule him. Still, in the moments he watched his Lord’s grandson fight against the atrocious spell forced upon him, his stomach clenched, and he found himself fighting against the temptation of getting up comforting the young man. 

His son had no such problems. 

Draco had rushed across the room, hesitating only a second before sitting onto the end of the bed. Eventually, he moved higher onto the bed, trying to be closer to his friend. His son soon ended up settling into between one of the Weasley twin’s legs and Harry’s body.

After Harry had finally given in and shifted, he had to look away as the three teens on the bed moved around so that all three could be close to the small black cat that was now in his place. It seemed intimate and personal. 

He wasn’t sure how to feel about the closeness of the 4 teenagers. Lucius had no qualms with multiple partners in a relationship. What he was worried about were the possible repercussions of the potential relationship. 

The twins’ parents were entirely on Dumbledore’s side. His son, on his and his Lord’s. Poor Harry, at the moment, was on his own. The boy no longer cared or trusted the headmaster, and he had no reason to trust the Dark Lord, at least not yet. 

Not to mention, as far as Lucius could tell, the last Potter had no idea how his friends felt about him. He wanted to roll his eyes. Fred and George Weasley clearly had feelings for Harry past friendship; not only had the two young men braved sneaking into Malfoy Manor, but they had also taken the risk of exposing themselves just to give Harry a happy Christmas. He wasn’t sure if he should commend them on their bravery or curse them for their stupidity. 

His son, he sighed as he looked at the bed again, Draco had his head resting on one of the twin’s thighs as all three petted and soothed the sleeping cat, might be just as oblivious about his attraction to Harry as Harry was. 

He was tempted to point it out. As well as pointing out that Draco was cuddling with two other boys, just to be close to his crush, but knew that it wasn’t his place. The four teenagers would have to figure their feelings out on their own. 

What he did need work on was a plan for Tom. 

The man had yet to have a proper conversation with his grandson and Heir and was already protective of him. Lucius had no idea how he would feel about three men potentially courting Harry. 

With a shake of his head, he shoved down his worries and looked at the other two men in the room. Barty was opening the box he had gifted Harry. Lucius shouldn’t have been surprised that the blonde pulled the blanket out, shook it out, and tossed it over the group of the bed. 

There was a yelp on the bed as Draco was covered entirely. The twins both chuckled as they shifted around and allowed Draco to unbury himself. They quickly settled again, and Lucius had to sigh at the ease with which they did it. No doubt one of them, if the two older boys didn’t know already, would soon figure it out. 

He looked away and found Severus. His friend wasn’t looking at the bed. In fact, he appeared to be staring off into space. 

He got up and walked over, gently brushing his shoulder against his friends, “are you okay?” he asked. Severus nodded, “just thinking,” his friend whispered back. 

“About?” he asked. 

“He fought against it.” He raised an eyebrow at the other man. That was not what he expected his friend to say. 

“The change,” his friend clarified, “he actually fought against it. The last time, he changed so quickly I don’t think he had time, or maybe he wasn’t desperate enough to try. But this time, he actively fought against letting the change happen,” his friend took a breath, “I think that last potion, me and the twins tried, did something. Loosened the effects enough that Harry was able to try and resist.” 

“You want to go work on it now, don’t you?” Barty asked as he walked over to them. 

Severus nodded, “If we are that close, I need to keep going.”

“Not to mention your deadline is almost up.” He added because he felt the need to remind his friend. 

Severus glared at him, “I’m aware of how much time I have, Lucius.” 

“We’ll come with you.” The twins whispered together from the bed. The two teens didn’t wait for a response, just untangled themselves and rolled off the bed. He didn’t hear what they whispered to Draco, but his son blushed bright red and then buried his face into Harry’s black fur. 

He let out a low groan at the sight, Barty and Severus both snickered, and he sent a wandless hex at the two. Barty yelped, but Severus must have sensed it coming because the spell never hit. 

“You two should stay here,” he said because obviously, he was the only one thinking clearly and remembering that there were, in fact, others in the Manor who would attack, maybe even kill the two redheads on sight, including the Dark Lord. 

“No.,” the two said together. 

“If Sn--Severus is right,” the one on the right said, “then we needed to be there to help him.” 

“And if someone else sees you?” he asked.

“They won’t.” the one on the left grinned at him before pulling something out of his robe and wrapping it around himself. Lucius gasped as the young man disappeared. 

“The hell?” Barty cried out, reaching for the spot where the teen had been. 

“An invisibility cloak,” Severus said in a tone that implied he just realized something. “That little--” his friend cut himself off, coughed to clear his throat, and tried again, “I take it that belongs to Harry.” 

The only visible twin nodded his head, smirking. Lucius got the feeling he was missing something, and given the fact that the Weasley before him was amused by it, he assumed it meant that Severus had fallen victim to this cloak sometime in the past. 

“Fine.” Severus said, “you two may come, but remain hidden until we reach my lap. Even then, keep it close just in case.” 

The second twin’s head appeared, just long enough for everyone to see him nod. Then he must have wrapped the cloak around his brother because both disappeared from sight. 

“I’m going to regret this.” he heard Severus mutter as he left the room. 

“He likes them,” Barty whispered when the other three were gone. Or at least he hoped they were. The idea of the twins having an invisibility cloak left him on edge. 

“He does.” he replied, “not that he will admit it.” 

Barty snorted, “no he won’t.” 

“So what do we do now?” the dirty blonde asked after a second. 

He sighed, “I don’t know.” he answered truthfully. 

While he was thinking about it, he pulled out his wand, waving it at the mess of wrapping paper, vanishing it with ease. He then gathered all of Harry’s gifts. He had intended to put them in Draco’s room with the rest but stopped when he remembered the mirror. 

He crossed the room as silently as he could; he was pretty sure his son was starting to fall asleep next to Harry and didn’t want to wake either of them. The mirror had been left on the right side of the bed by one of the twins, and he carefully picked it up. 

He looked back at Barty, who titled his head to the side like he was trying to figure out what Lucius was doing. Casting a quick spell so none of the others could hear him, he pulled the mirror up and held it in front of his face. 

“Sirius Black,” he said and was pleased when a second later the man’s face appeared. Having met the man a few times in the past, he started talking the second he saw him; otherwise, the man would go off, and he didn’t want to deal with that. 

“Harry’s fine,” he said at once, “sleeping now. Severus and the two terrors have gone off to the lab. They think they might have made a breakthrough.” He almost laughed at the bewildered look on Black’s face before the man got control of himself. 

Black opened his mouth to speak, but whatever the man was about to say was cut off by a hand appearing out of nowhere and covering his mouth. 

“Thank you.” Lupin said as he appeared in the mirror, “does Severus know for a fact his new idea with work?” 

“He seemed…” he searched for the right word, “determined.” Lupin nodded. Lucius noticed the man had yet to remove his hand from his friend’s mouth. Black might have looked offended, but he hadn’t even tried to move away or shake the hand off. He wondered about the two men, just how close were they?

“I have a question, well, two questions. “Lupin said cautiously, which had Lucius turning his full attention to the werewolf.

“And those are?” he asked. He felt Barty step into his bubble, the blonde carefully tapping his arm to let him know he was there. It was a common courtesy among their group. If he did not want the other Death Eater near him, all he had to do was give a sign, a flick of his finger, a shake of his head, even a small hex, and the other man would leave. He did none of those. He trusted Barty, and he was pretty sure Harry did as well. 

“Severus informed us when he was gathering our gifts last night,”  _ gifts?  _ He almost asked. He hadn’t seen Harry open gifts from Black or the wolf, and then he winced; the teen must have changed back before he had the chance to open the ones from them. “That Vold--” the wolf cut himself off, not sure how to refer to the man to one of his followers.

“The Dark Lord.” he supplied. Black’s eyes narrowed, but the wolf nodded his head. 

“He said that the Dark Lord didn’t want to kill Harry anymore. Is that true?” 

He could see the hopeful expressions on both men’s faces, and it hit him. If his Lord managed to convince Harry to join their side, they would get more than just Tom’s grandson and Heir. 

His Lord would get the twins. As he had no doubt, those two would follow Harry anywhere. They might even get the two oldest Weasley children, a curse-breaker and a Dragon tamer, as they had to have known where Harry was to be able to pass along gifts, and they would get these two. The wolf, he learned from Draco, was brilliant, the best Defense teacher they had ever had, his son had admitted. And Sirius Black, who, if cleared of his crimes, would be Lord Black. The head of his wife’s family. In recent years, the family that had fallen in public opinion still held a great deal of power. It could change so many things for them. 

“It is,” he replied. 

Black smacked away his friend’s hand, “why not?” the man demanded to know. It was clear from the wolf’s frown that wasn’t what his second question was going to be. 

Lucius thought about it. He couldn’t tell them the truth. Even if his Lord had given permission, they were still at the Order’s headquarters. He wouldn’t take the chance that someone got the information from the two men. 

Oh, he didn’t doubt them. Wolf’s were wired to protect their packs, and from the cub comment he heard the man let slip earlier, it was clear that was exactly what Harry was to the man. Blacks were strangely loyal to their family. Even with the different beliefs during the last war, he had never seen Bella, Sirius, nor Narcissa fire a deadly spell at one another. 

They may have been on different sides, but they still family. Harry was Sirius godson, his Heir if the rumors were right. So no, he didn’t think the two would betray Harry’s secrets, but that didn’t mean he trusted those around them not to try and take them from them. 

“I can not give you all the details.” he told them, “but I can tell you that Harry Potter has nothing to fear from my Lord, and as his friends, his family, neither do you.” he saw how surprised yet excited that made them and couldn’t help but smirk. “That doesn’t mean you can just appear at my front door. My Lord doesn’t know about Harry yet, and would assume you were here to attack.” 

Black frowned, but Lupin nodded his head in understanding. 

“Your second question?” he asked the wolf. 

“Does your Lord have plans for the memorial in 4 days?” That question surprised the hell out of him. 

Again he thought about what he was allowed to share. 

“I believe he does. Though he has yet to share them with me.” He looked over the mirror at Barty to see if the man had any information about it. The younger Death Eater shook his head. He wanted to sigh; it appeared Tom was keeping this one a secret from everyone. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Draco_ **

He faked being asleep until his father and Barty left. 

He shifted to roll on his back, staring up at the ceiling as he thought about the things running around in his mind. Mainly Harry, and what had just happened. He’d hated seeing his friend in so much pain and not being able to help. He also hated that he could make it stop. 

He had gagged as he watched Harry double over and cry out in pain. It only got worse when the stubborn Gryffindor had crawled into a ball and absolutely refused to change. He didn’t know how Harry found the strength for it. He’d never have been able to do that. It showed just how strong his friend was. Not just for fighting against the spell in a desperate attempt to keep talking to his godfather and Professor Lupin, but mentally as well. 

Draco hadn’t thought about it, how freaking horrible it must be to be trapped in another shape. A helpless form that forced Harry to rely so much on others, not just others but strangers. Which led him to realize how shitty it must be to be stuck in the Manor, surrounded by people Harry barely knew. Trapped far away from the only family he had.

It would have driven Draco insane, a week it.

He’d been stuck between wanting to hold Harry, offer any comfort he could, and scream and the idiot to stop making it worse. He’d felt so useless just sitting there watching. All he had been able to do was silently pray that Severus and the twins found a cure soon. 

Thinking about this led him to think about...the twins. Who confused the hell out of him. 

He reached down and ran his fingers down Harry’s spine. The cat’s body shivered a little and shifted closer to Draco’s side. 

When he had climbed on to the bed before, hoping to offer Harry some kind of support, he hadn’t been sure the twins would allow it. 

It was clear the two were protective, probably a little possessive of the younger Gryffindor. He’d noticed it the second the three had walked out of the bathroom together. The two Weasleys had their arms over Harry’s shoulders like they were claiming him as theirs. 

At first, he had been jealous, but then Harry had looked up at him, confused and afraid of being rejected, and he knew that while twins were close to Harry, so was he. 

When he joined them on the bed, neither twin had said a word. Fred just had shifted his legs away from Harry, giving Draco just enough space to crawl into, so that he too could be close to their friend. 

He wondered now if it had been as scary for them as it had been for him. Watching Harry fold in on himself to try and get away from the pain. Or if it had been just as gut-wrenching to them, listening to Black begging his godson to stop fighting and let the spell do its work. He wanted Dumbledore dead at that moment, and he wanted it to  _ hurt.  _

When it was over, and they were all just lying there petting and whispering to Harry, he had been silently waiting for them to tell him to get lost, but again the twins just rearranged themselves so that he could fit. 

He’d been embarrassed when he found his head on Fred’s thigh, the older boy running his fingers through hair, the twin’s other hand doing the same to Harry. He hadn’t dared to look around to see what his godfather and father thought at the sight of them; he just closed his eyes and relaxed. 

He half-listened as Severus, and his father talked. Drifting off a little, until the body beneath him moved. He’d made an embarrassing unhappy noise which got a snicker from George. He’d opened his eyes to glare at the redhead, who just smiled at him. 

Together the twins had whispered for him to take care of  _ their  _ Harry while they were gone. George even leveled him with a meaningful look before they left. It took a second for him to understand that the twins hadn’t meant “their _ ” _ like Harry belonged to Fred and George, but “their” as if Harry was Fred, George, and  _ his. _ His face had burned at the implication. 

He’d tried hiding it in Harry’s fur but still heard his father groan and his godfather snicker. He knew eventually there would be a talk about it. He had no doubt his father would corner the twins as soon as he could, which might have been funny if he was terrified about what they would say. 

He groaned and then jumped when he felt a coarse tongue lick at his arm. 

He pulled the blanket up to see Harry’s green eyes looking up at him. 

“Are you okay?” he asked softly. The cat’s head nodded once and then stopped after letting out a pained sound. Draco winced.  _ Harry was still in pain. _

“Okay, let’s go find Severus,” he muttered. Not that he let the car have any say in the matter. He bundled up that large blanket wanting to let Harry stay wrapped in it, but it was too big. He eyed the blanket and then the identical but smaller one hanging off the bed. 

With a quiet, “ _ fuck it _ ,” he stole Barty’s blanket. He carefully shifted Harry on to that one, and then picked up both cat and blanket, making sure some of it covered the small cat, and left the room. 

He’d been heading for the potions lab he knew Severus and the twins were working in but bumped into his Lord first. Literally. He cursed as he stumbled backward, Harry cried out in pain, yet neither of them hit the floor. 

When he found his feet, he looked up to see his Lord’s hand out. The man had wandlessly cast a levitation spell to stop them from falling. 

“I’m sorry.” He said, lowering his head. Silently hoping that the man would dismiss him quickly and he could get Harry to Severus. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a cold and a massive headache, tried to check this over for mistakes. Hopefully I got must of them.

**_Tom_ **

He'd been looking for Lucius, Barty, and Severus. The three men had seemingly disappeared a couple of hours ago, and he hadn't seen them since. He knew they were up to something and that it had to do with Harry, but as of yet, none of them had felt the need to fill him in. 

His patience was starting to wear thin.

He'd been debating, just demanding an answer out of whichever one he came across first when he slammed into another, smaller body. On instinct, he caught the person with his magic, keeping them from crashing onto the ground. Only then did he notice it was Draco. 

Who was cursing and desperately holding on to the black bundle in his arms. Only because the cat screamed out did he notice it wrapped in the blanket; he was pretty sure he had gifted Bartemius years ago. 

"I'm sorry." his lover's son said when he finally found his feet. He might have dismissed him, let him go about his night, but the cat in his arms was shaking and whimpering. 

"Come with me," he ordered. He turned and headed for his room. He had several potions there, one of which was a pain potion that would help the animal. He'd only taken a few steps when he noticed the younger Malfoy hadn't moved. Stopping, he turned around and raised an eyebrow at the teenager. 

The look on the blonde's face was one he was all too familiar with. It was the same look the boy's father got when he was about to question an order. 

Inwards he groaned. He had no idea how to deal with children. In fact, he usually tried to avoid them. He'd known Lucius had a child, of course, back before his demise, but it was one thing to know his lover had a baby and another to meet the young man he'd grown into in his absence. 

Perhaps if things had been different and he had gotten to know Draco as he grew up, he wouldn't feel so uneasy around him now. 

"The cat is in pain," he said, looking at the animal; he knew both Malfoys, all three actually, had a weakness for animals, and he wasn't above using that weakness right now. He'd already been curious about the strange cat, but now he was curious about Draco as well. This was the first time he'd been alone with Lucius' son, well ever. He wanted to take advantage of it and maybe get to know the teen.

Draco shifted on his feet, looking down at the cat and then back at him, "I was taking him to Severus." 

"For a pain relief potion?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. 

The young man before him muttered, "yes, sir." 

"The same potion I'm offering you?" He didn't know what it was about him that made the boy so uncomfortable. If it was his title or his power, there was nothing he could about it. But if it was his closeness to Draco's father, maybe there was a chance that spending time around the younger blonde could ease some of the tension between them. 

"Yes, sir," Draco said, with an apologetic look to the cat, who meowed. Tom titled his head in confusion, not a gesture he was used to. 

"Is there a problem?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound as annoyed as he was starting to feel. 

The blonde quickly shook his head, "no, sir." 

Frustrated, he spun around and headed for his room, not even caring if Draco followed him. He enjoyed being called Sir. He liked the fear and respect he saw in people's eyes when they said it. But having Lucius' son shrink and use it to get around talking to him pissed him off. 

_ How was he supposed to get to know Draco if he wouldn't utter more than a handful of words to him? _

Some part of him was relieved when Draco followed him into his room. He gestured towards Lucius's favorite chair, silently telling the boy to take a seat. 

He pulled out his personal potions kit. It was something he demanded all his followers have in case they needed a potion in an emergency and Severus wasn't around. A few of them could brew, he and Bastan were better than the others, but he still preferred Severus's potions because the man's talent surpassed their own by lightyears. 

He grabbed a pink potion that was a mild pain reliever. He wasn't sure how the potion would work on a cat and didn't want to give the animal anything stronger in case it was too much. He carried the bottle over and handed it to Draco. He looked so relieved as he pulled the stopper out and poured some into his hand, letting the cat lick it up. 

After the cat laid back down and drifted off, the room filled with awkward tension. 

Draco stayed in the chair, possibly only because he didn't want to disturb that cat sleeping on his lap, and Tom was standing in front of him. 

He was thinking as fast as he could of something to say, anything that might start a conversation between them. But the words failed to come. And the longer he stood there doing nothing, the more uneasy it seemed young Draco became. Soon the boy's right leg was bouncing up and down as he filled with nervous energy. 

He sighed, "I apologize." he muttered out before he even thought about the words. Draco's head snapped up towards him, eyes wide. 

"I thought bringing you in here was a good idea. I had wished to talk, get to know you, but it seems to have done nothing but make you uncomfortable." 

His lover's son looked at him bewildered, and then the boy shook his head, "I'm sorry." the blond whispered, "I don't…" he took a breath and pulled himself up so that he was sitting straight in the chair, "I don't know how to act around you." the teen said. "You're the Dark Lord, but also my father's…" again he stopped, and Tom almost smiled at the queasy look on his face. 

"Your father’s?" he asked, just because he could, and maybe a little because this was the most the boy had spoken to him and he didn't want him to stop. 

The young Malfoy glared at him before remembering who he was glaring at. He made his face more natural, "my father's  _ lover." _ he said. The word was drawn out like it had been forcefully pulled from the teen's mouth. 

This time he did grin, letting the younger man see his amusement. "When we are among my followers or at a gather, you will speak to me with the respect and obedience any of my followers would." Draco nodded his head in understanding, "However," he started, and the boy got a confused look on his face, "in private, you can be more relaxed and speak to me like you would your father or Uncle." 

Emotions raced across the young man's face before he again nodded his head. 

To Tom's surprise, the boy didn't hesitate to take him at his word. 

"Can I ask you a question?" Draco asked, not looking away. 

"You can." 

"What's with you and Potter?" 

Not sure what  _ exactly  _ Draco was talking about, "what do you mean?" he asked. 

"You wanted him dead. Now you don't." Short and succinct, just like his father. 

He sighed, "I can not tell you. At least not yet." For a second, he felt unhappy about that. He was finally getting to know Lucius' son, and he got the impression that if this conversation went wrong, the boy would pull away. 

"But you really don't want him dead?" Draco asked. Tom couldn't help but tilt his head and look at the blond again. He'd expected some kind of reaction about not being able to tell him something. Instead, Draco had accepted it and moved on to his next question. Which came off,  _ worried?  _ Which didn't make sense. The last he heard, Draco and Harry were rivals. Why would Draco be concerned? 

He almost asked, but there was a knock at the door. 

"Come in," he called. As he did, he noticed Draco's frown and how he slumped down in his seat. Tom smiled on the inside; it meant the boy wasn't happy about their conversation being interrupted. It meant they would talk again. 

"Sorry, my Lord," Narcissa said as she walked in. "I was looking for my son," she smiled at Draco. Who returned it. "May I take him?" she asked, looking back at him. 

He almost said no, but he didn't; he nodded his head and waved them off. 

When Draco stood, cat in his arms, his mother held out her hand, "leave him." Narcissa said, getting a frown from her son, "we are going out." she explained. Draco sighed and looked up at him, silently asking if that would be okay. 

"Leave him on the chair," he said, moving to sit behind his desk. 

After Draco stopped fussing over the cat and he and his mother left. The room fell quiet, and Tom couldn't help but lean back in his chair, his eyes closed, as he thought about his upcoming plans. 

  
  
  


**Harry**

When he woke, he was expecting to be in Draco's room, not Voldemort's office. The Dark Lord hunched over his desk, writing something on a piece of parchment. The oddity of it kept him from jumping off the chair and trying to rush out of the room. 

He laid there watching the man work for longer than he cared to admit before a knock on the door interpreted the strange scene. 

The Dark Lord looked up, almost glaring at the door. Harry had to bury his nose and mouth into the blanket to smother the snicker he had started to make. 

"Come in." The man called out after shoving some of the papers he was working on off to the side. A couple fell off unnoticed to the Lord; Harry found himself watching them fall, as whoever had knocked open the door walked in. 

"You seem frustrated." Lucius's voice carried over him, and Harry looked away from the papers. 

The man had left the door open as he walked into the room and approached Voldemort's desk. 

"My plans aren't coming along as I wish they would." the man admitted before turning his chair to the side; a second later, Lucius was standing before him. Harry suddenly wished he was elsewhere as the Dark Lord's hands moved to land on Draco's father's hips, pulling the tall blonde to stand between his legs. 

"For the Memorial?" Lucius asked, his eyes never leaving his Lord's. Harry tried, unburying himself from Barty's blanket. He did not want to see where this went. But his body felt sluggish and slow.

"I had hoped to undermine Albus's story." 

He froze. He may not want to see what the two men did when they were alone, but he did want to know what both Voldemort and Dumbledore had planned for his memorial. 

"How so?" 

"Originally, I had hoped to be able to prove Harry was still alive. If he wished, expose Dumbledore's plan to have him killed. But without Harry, I've been forced to rethink that." Harry shivered from the dark look he could see the Dark Lord sending his lover. 

_ Did Voldemort know that Lucius knew where he was? _ He wondered. 

"How would you have done it?" Lucius asked, "Despite your attack on Azkaban the Ministry still refuses to admit your back. Besides, if you or one of your people had shown up with Harry, the people would believe he was spelled or enchanted." 

"I never said I would be there." the Dark Lord said in a tone that said that would have just been stupid. Harry again almost snickered cause the man had sounded so human, so normal. 

"But you could have," he continued, his hands leaving the blonde's hips to travel up his sides. Harry almost choked and went back to trying to detangle himself from the blanket. 

"As a Ministry employee and a powerful leader in our community, people would listen to you. Add in Harry's own political influence and popularity, not to mention the very proof of him being alive. It wouldn't have been difficult to get people to believe either of you." 

"I thought you weren't going to use him," Lucius said in a flat unhappy tone. 

Harry, finally free of his blanket, stopped to look at the man. The blonde was frowning, his own hands moving to remove his lover's hands from his sides. 

The Dark Lord hissed. To Harry, it sounded like he was cursing in parseltongue, "I'm not using him!" the man snapped, "I'm trying to get him out from under Dumbledore." Power flowed through the room and Harry shivered. 

"So tell him the truth!" Lucius snapped loudly before he seemed to release who he was yelling at. 

The man stopped, took a deep breath, then slid to his knees, clutching his Lord's hands in his own, "Tell him the truth, show him you are better than Albus. Don't try to use or manipulate him, even if you feel it's for his own good. It won't work." the man took a breath, "all Harry would see is another person trying to control him and his life. Tom," the blonde's voice grew softer, "I know you, I understand when you twist things, manipulate them for the better, even if I do not like it. I know you do it because you care and it's how to handle the need to protect me without attempting to lock me away from the world. You do the same for Barty and Severus. But Harry, he would not see it that way." 

The power that had been building started to recede and Harry was left completely bewildered. Not just by the fact that Lucius Malfoy was on his knees. But by how the man had spoken and how Voldemort had reacted. Instead of getting angry and hexing the blonde, he had his eyes closed and seemed to regain control over his temper and power. 

Harry was dying to know what truth they were talking about. __

_ What the hell did he not know now? _

"How can I, when you and Severus refuse to tell me where he is?" The Dark Lord asked; he didn't sound angry, but he did sound unhappy. 

Harry found it hard to breathe. Voldemort knew that Severus and Lucius were hiding him. The man, for some reason, wasn't torturing them for the information, though. Which didn't make sense. Not with the stories Harry had heard. Or what he remembered from the graveyard. That Voldemort had been angry and more than willing to Crucio people, Harry still had nightmares about it. 

"If you ordered my Lord, you know I would tell you. But I ask you not to. The situation with Harry is complicated, delicate even. If you wish for him to see you in a different light, I believe forcing a confrontation now would be unwise. Dumbledore has betrayed him, shown him his true colors. I believe Harry needs to wrap his mind around that, and around the fact that the things the old fool told him aren't true." 

"I am not sure, we have the time," Voldemort said with a sigh. "I've done all I can to undermine Albus's story, spreading doubt amongst the heads of families and the Ministry. Even the common people have started to question it, but the longer Harry is missing, the harder it is going to be to keep that doubt alive." 

"Does he need to be alive?" Lucius asked, and Harry almost hissed at the man, because yes, he needed to be alive! He jumped unnoticed off the chair and was ready to rush out the door if he had to. 

"What do you mean?" the Dark Lord asked, his tone sharp, and the room suddenly felt colder. 

"For your goals. My Lord," Lucius bowed his head, resting it against the other man's thigh, "Do the people need to know that Harry Potter is alive?" 

_ Oh, _ Harry thought. He let out a relieved breath, for a second he had thought Lucius was talking about killing him. Harry felt betrayed by the idea, which now felt weird. He hadn't realized how much he had grown to trust the man, not until he thought for a moment he was about to be betrayed. 

The room was silent for a couple of very long minutes before the Dark Lord reached out and cupped his lover's chin, pulling his face upward to face him. 

"I'd like to have him at my side." the man said, as he ran his thumb over the blonde's cheek, and again Harry really wished he didn't need to see the intimacy just to hear their conversation.

"I'd like to train and teach him, show him the marvels of our magic. The public does not need to know he is alive for that. However, if he accepts his place as my heir and all that it entails, he would need to be able to take up our families' seats in the Wizengamot, for that he cannot be dead." 

_ What the fuck, _ Harry couldn't help but think. Because he had no idea what they were talking about, but he knew what an Heir was. 

When Sirius hadn't been able to see him at the start of the summer, he'd sent this horribly long letter, with corrections from Remus, about wanting to name Harry his heir and about the Will he had already signed off on. 

Harry had been so bored trapped in his bedroom. He had read it over and over again, just for something to do.

Meaning Harry knew that there were only a handful of ways to be named heir, by blood, like his parents. Or by a bond, such as a godfather. Padfoot had mentioned expectations such as marriage or conquests, but the man had admitted those tended to be for the actual Lord or Lady title, not an heir. 

_ So how in the hell could he be Voldemort's heir?  _

He meowed, not meaning to. He just really wanted - no  _ needed  _ \- an answer. Lucius's head snapped to the side of the room where Harry was standing, his gray eyes widening in shock and surprise. 

"Glad to see you are feeling better." The Dark Lord said, clearly missing the horrified expression on his lover's face. The man reached down and pulled Lucius to his feet, which seemed to give the blonde enough time to pull himself together. 

"Are you alright?" Voldemort asked as he walked around his desk to stand in front of him. He looked concerned, and if Harry wasn't so confused, he might have been amused by it, but he was, angry too. He desperately wanted to know what they had been talking about. 

Harry glared up at the man, hissing. _ No, I'm not alright! _ He growled, wishing for what felt like the hundredth time, he could talk as a cat. 

Uncertainty flashed across the older man's face. It seemed he finally realized that Harry was not acting correctly. The Dark Lord looked over his shoulder at his lover and then back down at Harry. 

Harry knew the moment the man knelt down and took hold of his head that he had figured it out. Just like with Severus weeks ago, there was a sudden understanding in his eyes as he looked at him. 

"Harry," the Dark Lord whispered. It was strange how gently he was being. His touch, his voice, even the man's magic, when it suddenly wrapped around Harry, was warm and welcoming. Surprisingly enough, it seemed to relive the last bit of pain he'd been in after his forced transformation. 

"How did this happen?" Even if he was looking at Harry, the question was directed at Lucius. Who had moved to stand behind Voldemort. 

"Dumbledore." the man answered. 

Weirded out by the fury he saw in the Dark Lord's face at the mention of the headmaster, Harry took a step back. Voldemort frowned then dropped his hand. He didn't try to reach for him again. 

"Severus is working on a cure," he said more than asked, still not looking away from Harry. It was unnerving, and Harry felt the hairs along his spine rise; he took another step away. 

"He is," Lucius hesitated for a second. Harry saw him look at him for a second, "along with a couple others." 

Harry hissed at the man, not wanting him to tell Voldemort about his friends. He didn't want them in danger or even on the Dark Lord's radar. His reaction must have been too obvious because Voldemort turned away from him to look at his lover. 

"Who?" the man asked as he approached the blonde. 

He rushed forward, ready to scratch and claw at the blonde's legs to shut him up, but he tripped over a piece of parchment. It was one he had seen fall off the Dark Lord's desk before. 

It shouldn't have caught his attention, not with what was going on, but he saw his name in dark red ink on the top, and he had to know what it said. Using his paws, he pushed the parchment until it unrolled before him. 

At first, the words didn't make sense. It was an inheritance test of some kind; that much was obvious, as Harry could see his mother and father's names right about his own, the titles mother and father off to the side in gold. 

But what didn't make sense was the Tom Marvolo Riddle above his mother's name. He didn't know his mother's parents' names. His aunt never talked about them. But he was pretty sure Tom Riddle and some woman named Darla Morella weren't right. 

Riddle was Voldemort, and Morella was a name he'd seen on one of his Defence books, which meant she'd been a witch. 

Lily had been a muggle-born, her parents and sister muggles. Harry knew that he'd spent the better part of his life being reminded of it. His aunt's nasty comments about her sisters' freakiness and the pureblood Slytherins at school mocking his mudblood mother. 

So there was no way in hell Voldemort was her father. 

_ Right? _

His mind raced as he tried to think of anything else the parchment could mean.

Only he kept hearing Voldemort's comments about  _ his heir.  _ And the man's gentleness just now when he had been kneeling before him. The look on the man's when he figured out who he was and had whispered his name. 

He swallowed, suddenly terrified of the implication. 

Because if the man believed it, believed that Harry was his heir, it meant that he believed he was Lily's father. Which meant he was Harry's grandfather. His blood. His family. 

Merlin, he was shaking. 

If he was related to Voldemort, it meant the man had a claim on him. He could take him away from the Durselys, which caused Harry to let out a choked sound; he was already away from them. 

He shook his head, trying to fight the hysteria he could feel building. 

He didn't care about his relatives; he didn't even care that he could be kept away from Dumbledore's control if it was confirmed. Because if this was true and Voldemort was related to him, it meant that the man could take him away from  _ Sirius _ . 

In the background, he could still hear the two men whispering hurriedly and angry. There was even the telling sign of Voldemort's magic building up in the air around them as he grew more and more upset. Which had Harry missing its more soothing touch from before. He wasn't sure how he felt about  _ that _ . 

But he felt lucky that his discovery of the scroll and the small freak out he was currently having had gone unnoticed. 

Taking a second to think about it, he nudged the parchment forward, forcing it to roll closed, then he carefully took it into his mouth and darted out of the room. 

One of the men called after him, but he ignored it. He rushed through the halls, paying no attention to any of the Death Eaters he passed. He needed to get to Severus before Voldemort and Lucius caught up with him. 

He wasn't sure how they would react to the parchment he stole, but he needed to see if the potion master knew. If he had known all along and how he felt about it. The fact that his best friend was his Lord's daughter. The same Lord that had killed her. 

He hissed angrily when he arrived at a stupidly closed door. 

On second thought, maybe it wasn't dumb. The twins were in there, and he didn't want anyone else knowing they were in the manor. It just pissed him off because he was scared and worried that he was being chased. 

He had to drop the parchment on the ground so that he could whine, meow, and scratch at the damn door until it was opened, 

Severus only opened it enough to stick his head out, which Harry was grateful about. It meant no one would have been able to spot the twins. The man looked down at him, clearly confused about what he was doing there. 

Harry hissed and swatted at the parchment with his paw. 

Severus raised an eyebrow before bending down and picking it up. His eyes went wide as unrolled and read it.

He looked away from it and down at Harry, "I can explain." he said, rolling the parchment up and shoving it into his robe. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little short... but it was the best place to stop for the next chapter.

**_Harry_ **

Severus reached down and picked him up, but before he could turn and walk back into the lab, the Dark Lord’s voice called out for him to stop. 

Harry shivered and tried to bury himself in the Potion master’s robes. 

“My Lord,” The man holding him greeted the approaching man. If Harry was to look up, he’d bet the man had bowed his head. 

“It seems that we need to have a conversation.” Voldemort said, and Harry felt Severus stiffen. 

“We do?” he asked. 

“We do.” Voldemort said, and then Severus was moving, he stepped back into his lab. Harry cringed as he heard Voldemort and Lucius following behind him. He didn’t look away from the chest he was pressed against. Some small part of him felt like if he didn’t acknowledge what was happening, it wasn’t real. 

“Harry,” Voldemort said softly, and Harry jumped; the man was far too close. He looked up and hissed at the Dark Lord. 

“That’s rude.” The man replied, not sounding at all bothered by Harry’s reaction. They stared at each other for several seconds before Lucius cleared his throat. Voldemort took a breath and moved to sit on top of a stool next to the counter where Severus’s potion was brewing. 

Thankfully the man’s focus was on Harry because he missed a few ingredients floating over and then dropping into the caldron. Harry wasn’t sure if he wanted to groan or demand to be given to the twins. This whole conversation was going to be weird and awkward, and he’d rather be with them. 

He let out a quiet whine, not meaning to, and felt Severus shift him around until he was in a more comfortable position, then the man’s hand started rubbing along his spine. It might not have been what he wanted, but it helped. 

He relaxed a little and turned his head to glare at the Dark Lord. 

The man was watching him and Severus with an odd expression on his face. It was almost envious. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but after a second, the man shook it off. 

“I assure you, Harry, this was not how I wanted this conversation to go,” Voldemort stated, “I wanted to be able to sit down with you, explain who Darla was and how I never knew about your mother.” The man’s blue eyes dropped to the ground for a second before he pulled himself up and looked back at Harry with a sad smile. “If I had known, I would have tracked her down and raised her. I might not have imagined myself as a father, but I never would have ignored my child--”

Somewhere in the room, a metal steering rod catered to the floor, causing everyone to jump. Lucius had his wand out looking for a threat, Severus let out a very low curse that Harry barely heard, and Voldemort’s eyes darted around the room, searching for anything out of place. 

“I apologize,” Severus said, “I must have left it too close to the edge.” Harry tried not to snicker as Severus walked over and picked up the rod; he dropped it into his sink before grabbing a second one and placing it next to the cauldron. 

The amusement he felt at twin’s minor distraction only lasted until he and Severus were back in front of the Dark Lord. 

The man had relaxed at the potion master’s explanation, hopefully believing it. Lucius, on the other hand, had not. His eyes kept roaming over the room, and Harry had to assume the man knew the twins were here, how he didn’t know, but Lucius clearly didn’t like not being able to see them, it left him jumpy.

“As I was saying,” Voldemort picked up his speech, “I cannot do anything about your mother now, for which I’m more sorry than you will ever believe,” he took a breath, “but I can take care of you.” He stood up and walked towards them. 

If he hadn’t been trapped in Severus’s arms, he would have backed away. “You don’t trust me, I know that. I deserve that, but Harry, I would like to have a chance to earn it. A chance to show you that I want to be in your life and that one day you will want to be in mine.” He looked so sincere and hopefully, and Harry just froze. 

He had no idea what he was supposed to do with this information. 

He just didn’t know how to process it, nor how he was supposed to react. Were they expecting him to accept it? Be grateful? After all, he was an orphan, so why wouldn’t he want a family. 

Or were they waiting for him to go off on the Dark Lord? Attack him maybe?

Emotions raged through him, and for a second, he was grateful to be stuck as a cat. It meant he couldn’t give in to his confusion and anger and scream or attack Voldemort. 

“Harry,” the man started, even raising his hand to reach out for him. Harry wanted to tell him to shut up, stop talking, just stop! Anything to get the soft open tone he was speaking in to go away. Because it made Harry want to listen to him, made Harry want to believe him!

He whimpered and tried to scoot away. 

He didn’t believe him, right? He couldn’t. There was no way that Voldemort wanted Harry to be a part of his life. No way he meant the words he was saying. 

Right? 

Why the hell would the Dark Lord want to have the Boy-Who-Lived as his grandson-- they were enemies-- they were supposed to be enemies! 

Harry’s mind raced, and he felt tears starting to build up in his eyes. 

He slammed them closed. 

This was the man who killed his parents. He reminded himself, the man who killed Cedric, the man who had him kidnapped, bled, and then tried to kill him again. 

He whimpered again and almost sobbed out when a pair of invisible hands ripped him from Severus’s hold and pulled him under his father’s cloak. 

The feel of it’s familiar magic and the twins’ scents had him breathing again. This was safe. He pressed close against George and let Fred whisper softly to him, all while thinking about what he just learned. 

  
  


**_Severus_ **

Severus just about jumped out of his skin when Harry was pulled from his arms and disappeared into thin air. 

His shock only lasted a second as the Dark Lord launched to his feet and aimed his wand at the spot Harry had vanished. 

Not thinking, he jumped in front of the wand, “Wait!” he shouted, seeing Lucius reached from behind their Lord to grab the man’s wrist. 

“It’s his friends,” the blonde said in a rush, “they’re his friends.” 

Severus stood frozen as the Dark Lord glared at the spot behind him. When the other man exhaled and lowered his wand, Sev let himself relax. 

“Who exactly is in this room with us, Severus?” the man said in a very calm voice. It sent chills through him. He swallowed. 

“Fred and George Weasley.” he replied, slightly bowing his head to his Lord. 

“And the reason I can’t sense or see them?” The man moved to sit back down on the stool he had been before. Though, Severus noted he still had his wand out. 

“Harry, it seems, inherited an invisibility cloak from his father,” Lucius answered for him, “the twins are using it to help Sev with the cure.”

_ Fantastic idea, Luc, _ Sev thought, get the man to stop thinking about the twins and Harry and on the cure that would make Harry human again. 

“It’s almost finished,” he said, drawing his Lord’s attention to the boiling caldron. 

He moved forward and started checking it over. He knew the matching pair had kept working on it while the Dark Lord told Harry the truth. The idiots had dropped one of his silver rods when Voldemort had finally admitted that Lily had been his daughter. Not that he could blame them, he hadn’t reacted any better. 

He sighed and focused on the potion. It was a dark blue, almost navy, and smelled of hay and mugwort, giving the brew a bitter earthly scent. It looked perfect. Still, his hand shook as he found his ladle and scooped some of the potion into a small glass vial. 

He was relieved when another hand appeared over his, gently taking it from him. He looked up at his friend and gave him a grateful nod. Lucius gave him a soft smile and then turned and handed the potion to the Dark Lord. 

“This will work?” the man asked, examining the concoction in his hand. 

“I believe so.” he replied, “the twins and I tried a slightly different variant of it and Harry was able to resist shifting back in a cat for a short time. It was painful and miserable, but enough of an effect that we were able to change the recipe for what we hope is a permanent fix.” 

The room fell silent. 

Severus leaned back against the counter and just breathed. He had not expected this turn of events. He’d hoped that he was able to turn Harry human again and warn him before the Dark Lord told him the truth. 

He hated feeling Harry shake in his arms and not knowing what the young man was thinking. He had been so tempted to reach into his mind just so he knew if he needed to escape with Harry before the reckless child did something stupid. Not that he was sure he could read the young man’s mind while he was a cat. He’d tried once, the second day Harry had been around, and it was just fuzzy and muted images. 

But he had held back. Harry trusted him now, and he would not break that trust, not unless Harry’s life was in danger and he had no choice. 

“Are we going to try this now or wait?” Luc, it seemed, had run out of patience just standing around waiting. 

There was a snicker from somewhere toward the middle of the room, then a moment later, the potion vial floated out from the Dark Lord’s hand, the man glaring at it as it disappeared. 

“Wait!” he called out before whichever twin could give it to Harry, “I need to be able to watch,” he said, “If something goes wrong, I have to be able to see him and assess the effects.” 

He waited, breath held, for a second before two young men became visible, Harry on the floor at their feet. The twins didn’t acknowledge anyone in the room, just bent down, and the one on the right poured the bottle into a small dish. 

The whole room held its breath as the black cat licked up the blue liquid. 


End file.
